Knowledge and practices regarding prevention of anemia amongst pregnant women in rural communities of South-West Nigeria

The burden of anemia in pregnancy (AIP) is significantly higher in developing countries, most especially in rural areas.  This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of pregnant women’s knowledge and practices on the prevention of AIP in South-West Nigeria.

This cross-sectional-based study involved 138 consenting pregnant women aged 18 - 42 years who had no complications (maternal and fetal) during pregnancy.  Pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire consisting of three parts was used to collect data. The first part obtained information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents. The second part assessed their knowledge on adequate diet and prevention of AIP, while the third part assessed the practices of respondents on the prevention of AIP.  A binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with anemia.

About 18.8% of respondents had poor knowledge, while 8.0% had a high score. Although all respondents claimed regular clinic attendance, 55.8% of them took their routine antenatal care (ANC). Pica practices were found in 7.2%. None of the respondents smoked, while 5.8% drank alcohol. None had food taboo. There was a significant association between the knowledge score and educational status (p = 0.006).

The findings indicated that the majority of pregnant women in rural communities in South-West Nigeria had moderate knowledge and good practices regarding the prevention of anemia.