The intake of iron supplement and the factors influencing optimal iron supplementation during pregnancy

Anemia is one of the major causes of maternal death in developing countries and iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia during pregnancy which can be associated with many adverse effects. Despite the implementation of programs for taking iron supplement, the statistics show that most pregnant women do not take the iron tablets correctly and regularly. This study aimed to investigate the intake of iron supplement and the factors influencing iron intake during pregnancy in women referred to Bandar Abbas Shariati Hospital in 1395.
In this descriptive-analytic study 197 pregnant women who referred to Shariati Hospital in Bandar Abbas in 1395 and were in the second half of their pregnancy period were enrolled through available sampling method. To collect the data, valid and reliable questionnaire was used. Then data were entered into SPSS 19. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics indicators (mean, frequency) and chi-square test were used. A P value of According to the results 61.4% of pregnant women were taking iron supplements desirably. There was significant relationship between iron supplements intake and history of anemia (P=0.002), spouse's education level (p=0.032), anemia before pregnancy (P=0.000), and mother's education level (P=0.006). However, no significant relationship was found between the intake of iron supplements and age)0.498), nationality)P=0.298(, employment status, mother's job (p=0.622), wive's job (p=0.549),the number of pregnancies (p=0.288), Number of children(p=0.773), and the frequency of referring to health centers (p=0.481).
According to the results of the study it can be concluded that conducting training classes for mothers and wives as well as giving sufficient information about pregnancy anemia to the community through the mass media is needed for increasing the iron intake during the pregnancy and for promoting the level of maternal health.