Effect of daily iron supplementation and nutritional assessment of Omani anemia pregnant women.
Author
Al-Yaqubiyah, Hekmat Shuwaired Said.
English abstract
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) during pregnancy is a public health problem in Oman. Although a national anemia control program provides daily iron supplementation for pregnant women through antenatal care services, yet the prevalence of IDA is increasing. Objectives: This study is aiming to evaluate the impact of daily iron supplementation on iron status of pregnant Omani women and to explore anemia-related perceptions among the enrolled study subjects. Methods and Subjects: A cross-sectional study approach included pregnant women visiting primary health care. Inclusion criteria were pregnant Omani women on their first trimester and have hemoglobin (Hb) level less than 11 g/dL. The efficacy of the iron supplementation was assessed by comparing the Hb levels of the study subjects at the time of enrollment with that by the end of pregnancy. Results: fifty four study subjects were recruited on voluntary basis for this study; 42 were complied with the iron supplementation program meanwhile 12 were not complied with the iron supplementation. The enrolled anemic pregnant women who were iron supplemented had no improvement in their Hb level by the end of pregnancy. The reasons of the failure of daily iron supplementation program for the enrolled study subjects were: poor compliance of taking the tablets as a daily dose, late start of the iron supplementation, misconceptions on the effect of iron supplementation and inadequate motivation. In addition all study subjects had low daily dietary intake of iron. Conclusion: Daily iron supplementation among the enrolled study subjects is not effective in improving their Hb levels. Poor adherence to the required daily dosage and wrong believe were common among the majority of the enrolled study participants.
