Assessment of Knowledge and Practice of Periconceptual Folic Acid Supplementation Among Childbearing Age Women Attending Antenatal Clinic at Kambarage Health Center Shinyanga.
Assessment of Knowledge and Practice of Periconceptual Folic Acid Supplementation Among Childbearing Age Women Attending Antenatal Clinic at Kambarage Health Center Shinyanga. - Mwanza, Tanzania | Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences [CUHAS-Bugando] | 2024. - 61 Pages Includes References
Abstract:
Introduction: Folic acid (Vitamin B9) is important in vast numbers in human metabolic pathway. For example, in converting amino acids serine to glycerin, it is also important in preventing neural tube defects in fetuses. This study focuses in assessment of knowledge and practice on folic acid supplementation among child bearing age women attending antenatal clinic at Kambarage health center Shinyanga.
Method: Descriptive cross-sectional study involving 146 child bearing age women attending antenatal clinic at Kambarage health center, using quantitative approach was conducted with the aim of assessing knowledge and practice on periconceptual folic acid supplementation. Data analysis was performed using Statistical package for the social science (SPSS) software version 25, involving phases such as data cleaning and description to present variables, frequencies, percentage, means and standard deviations. Chi square tested to assess factors associated with poor practice on periconceptual folic acid supplementation.
Results: The study assessed 146 participants from the study area whereby, results showed that about 46.6% of participants had knowledge on folic acid whereby they knew the benefits of periconceptual folic acid supplementation. 87% of participants obtained information about folic acid from the healthcare providers. On practice assessment only 18.5% of participants had practice of periconceptual folic acid supplementation and the rest 81.5% participants had no periconceptual folic acid supplementation. Whereby, 76.8% started their folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and 22.4% did not take folic acid supplementation completely. The reasons behind poor periconceptual folic acid supplementation among child bearing age women is unplanned pregnancy whereby 60% of participants reported that as the reason and the other reasons being Not prescribed by a doctor, feeling sick, getting enough folates from food and not knowing the important before pregnancy.
Conclusion: From this study results have shown that there is little knowledge among childbearing age women on folic acid supplementation attending clinic at Kambarage health center on prevention of neural tube defects whereby, the major source of information are the healthcare providers and among the factors that attributes to these findings are: age, level of education and parity number. Moreover, only few women knew at what period should folic acid begin to be taken. On assessment of practice of folic acid findings showed that few women comply in taking folic acid before pregnancy while giving the reasons such as unplanned pregnancy, lack of knowledge, some said it was not prescribed by the doctors and some women said they get enough folate from their daily diet. Thus, this demands the healthcare providers to keep more efforts in educating the society on folic acid and its importance into preventing neural tube defects. Also, more education should be given to the society on the importance of family planning together with making sure that society members adherence to the methods of family planning so as to improve the adherence to folic acid
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--Community, Maternal and Child Health