KNOWLEDGE AND PREVENTIVE PRACTICES OF ANAEMIA AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN ATTENDING ANTENATAL CARE IN IBADAN SOUTH EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, OYO STATE

Abstract

Anaemia remains a major public health problem affecting all age population but more common among pregnant women. The high prevalence of anaemia in developing countries has been attributed to conditions like nutritional deficiencies, parasitic infections and inherited disorders. Anaemia in pregnancy is the leading cause of increased maternal health complications as well as that of the foetus and infants. The outcome from anaemia in pregnancy stalls social-economic development in developing nations. This study was, therefore, designed to investigate the knowledge, attitude and preventive practices of anaemia among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Ibadan South East Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted for this study. A four-stage sampling technique was used to select 305 pregnant women across five selected Primary Health Care centres and a Traditional birth home in Ibadan South East Local Government Area. A validated semi-structured questionnaire which included questions on socio-demographic characteristics, a 39-point knowledge scale for assessing knowledge of definition, risk factors, signs and symptoms, nutrition, effects and prevention of anaemia in pregnancy; a 13- point attitudinal scale for assessing the attitude regarding prevention of anaemia in pregnancy; and a 6-point practice scale was used for data collection. Knowledge scores ≤13, >13-26 and >26 points were categorised as poor, fair and good, respectively. Attitude scores ≤7 and >7 were categorised as negative and positive, respectively. Practice scores ≤4 and >4 were classified as poor and good practices, respectively. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as ANOVA and Chi-square test with the level of significance set at p=0.05. Respondents’ age was 27.1±5.9 years, almost all (97.7%) were Yoruba, most (72.5%) had senior secondary school education and 79.7% were Muslim faithful. Respondents’ knowledge score was 26.4±3.0, with the majority having good knowledge. Most (70.5%) of them responded correctly that low childbirth spacing increases the chance of a pregnant woman having anaemia, 75.1% correctly answered shortness of breath as one of the signs of anaemia in pregnancy, and almost all (99.7%) affirmed green leafy vegetables as a source of Iron. The attitudinal score was 9.5+0.9, 97.7% of the respondents had a positive attitude towards the prevention of anaemia in pregnancy. Almost all (97.4%), were favourably disposed with the notion that anaemia in pregnancy is a serious problem. Also, almost all (99.0%), affirmed that they consume foods rich in iron and 97.4% indicated their interest in preventing anaemia. Most (82.0%) of the respondents, 82.0% signified to have taken folic acid in current pregnancy and 95.4% reported to have been taking three regular balanced diets daily. Respondents had inadequate knowledge relating to nutrition, which reflects in their practice. Health promotion programmes on the importance of a healthy diet during pregnancy should be organized by stakeholders in the health sector in collaboration with nutritionists