S. Thirukkanesh
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A.M. Zahara
Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
ABSTRACT
Low compliance has been linked to the ineffectiveness of supplementation programme among pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the compliance of vitamin and mineral supplementation among pregnant women attending public antenatal clinics in urban and rural areas. A total of 118 pregnant women aged 28±4 years (urban areas = 62; rural areas = 56) were recruited. Socio demographic data and compliance to supplementation were obtained through self-reported questionnaire. Haemoglobin concentration (Hb) was obtained from the antenatal records. More than two-thirds of the subjects (79.7%) were in third trimester and less than a third (20.3%) was in second trimester. Overall, 49.2% of subjects complied with vitamin and mineral supplementation. The mean of weight and haemoglobin concentration were 63.7±15.1 kg and 11.3±1.1 g d/L, respectively. The overall percentage of subjects who complied with vitamin and mineral supplementation was 49.2%. There was no significant difference in percentage of subjects who complied with the supplements in urban (46.8%) and rural areas (51.8%) (p = 0.587). The prevalence of anaemia among the subjects (Hb <11 g d/L) was 42.3% (n = 50). Prevalence of anaemia was lower in the compliant group compared with the non-compliant group (34.5% vs 50%, p = 0.01). Pregnant mothers who did not comply to the supplementation had significantly lower haemoglobin concentration (11.0±1.0 g d/L) compared with those who complied (11.5±1.2 g d/L) (p = 0.01). Percentage of compliance in anaemic and non-anaemic subjects were 34.5 and 65.5%, respectively (p = 0.088). The main reasons for non-compliance reported by subjects in both areas were forgetfulness (33.9%), side effects (nausea and vomiting) (11.9%) and worry regarding big size of babies (5.1%). In summary, the incidence of anemia is still high while compliance to supplementation is still low. Comprehensive nutrition education and health promotion programme should be carried out targeting pregnant women in urban and rural to educate the importance of compliance with the vitamin and mineral supplementation during pregnancy.
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How to cite this article
S. Thirukkanesh and A.M. Zahara, 2010. Compliance to Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation among Pregnant Women in Urban and Rural Areas in Malaysia. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition, 9: 744-750.
DOI: 10.3923/pjn.2010.744.750
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjn.2010.744.750
DOI: 10.3923/pjn.2010.744.750
URL: https://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=pjn.2010.744.750
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