Maternal Knowledge Associated with the Prevalence of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Among Pregnant Women in Muntinlupa, Philippines: A Cross-Sectional Study

Tadashi Yamashita,1 Ramon Emilio Daniel Roces,2 Cecilia Ladines-Llave,2 Maria Teresa Reyes Tuliao,3 Mary Wanjira Kamau,4 Chika Yamada,5,6 Yuko Tanaka,7 Kyoko Shimazawa,1 Saori Iwamoto,1 Hiroya Matsuo6 1Kobe City College of Nursing, Kobe, Japan; 2Hospital of Muntinlupa, Muntinlupa, Philippines; 3City Health Office, City Government of Muntinlupa, Muntinlupa, Philippines; 4School of Nursing Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya; 5Department of Environment Coexistence, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; 6Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan; 7Department of School Health Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, JapanCorrespondence: Tadashi YamashitaKobe City College of Nursing, 3-4 Gakuennishi-Machi, Nishi-Ku, Kobe, 651-2103, JapanTel/Fax +81-78-794-8079Email tadashi_y_kobe@yahoo.co.jpPurpose: The World Health Organization advocates that all pregnant women in areas where anemia is prevalent receive supplements of iron and folic acid. However, owing to a myriad of factors, the uptake of iron and folic acid supplementation (IFAS) is still low in many countries. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of IFAS and its associated factors among pregnant women.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a hospital in Muntinlupa, Philippines, between March and August 2019 among 280 pregnant women. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with the prevalence of IFAS among pregnant women.Results: Among 280 pregnant women, a majority (85.6%, n= 238) took IFAS during pregnancy. Among the respondents, 128 (45.9%) women had knowledge about signs and symptoms of anemia, 126 (45.3%) had knowledge of the benefits associated with IFAS, and 42 (15.4%) had knowledge about side effects associated with IFAS. The main sources of information about IFAS were health care providers (41.8%), followed by community health workers (CHWs) (14.6%). Maternal knowledge concerning IFAS benefits (OR =  2.50, CI =  1.04– 5.97, p=0.04) was positively associated with the prevalence of IFAS.Conclusion: Maternal knowledge about the benefits of taking IFAS was significantly associated with the prevalence of IFAS among pregnant women in Muntinlupa, Philippines. There is a pressing need to improve health education on the benefits of IFAS among pregnant women to increase its prevalence. This emphasizes the necessity of increased involvement of health care providers and CHWs to increase women’s knowledge of IFAS benefits and support them through pregnancy.Keywords: anemia, pregnancy, health education, health care providers, community health workers