KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE & PRACTICE ABOUT IRON AND FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL AT KARACHI, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Folic acid (vitamin B9) is a vital nutrient that safeguards the body's cells and plays a key role in DNA production and fetal growth; however, a deficiency during pregnancy may result in Neural Tube Defects (NTDs), occurring in approximately 300,000 cases worldwide each year, particularly in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Objective:

To assess the prevalence of Knowledge, Attitude & Practice (KAP) and the factors associated with the rise of iron and folic acid deficiency among pregnant women attending private and public tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methodology:

A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in both private and public hospitals from September 2024 to February 2025, utilizing convenient sampling techniques involving 400 pregnant women aged 17 to 45 years who volunteered to participate. The research tools were approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Kharadar General Hospital and evaluated by a panel of three experts in maternity hospitals for content analysis, along with a pilot study to assess reliability, yielding a Cronbach alpha of 0.798 for Knowledge, 0.701 for Attitude, and 0.731 for Practice. Furthermore, a one-way ANOVA was employed to determine the association among the variables.

Results:

The findings indicated that women between the ages of 26 and 35 (46%), secondary gravida (39%), matriculated (44%), and were primarily housewives (78%), had poor; knowledge (77.7%), attitude (74%), and practice (73.8%) of taking IFAS supplements during pregnancy. In addition, the majority of women were informed that IFAS are necessary for all expectant mothers (272 (68.0%), (180 (45%) should be taken before planning a pregnancy, 172 (43%) IFAS supplements are more effective when combined with a healthy diet, 160 (40%) eating foods high in vitamin-C helps improve the absorption of IFAS, and (182 (45.5%) taking IFAS supplements regularly during pregnancy were strongly disagreed with regard to kAP for IFAS supplementation. Besides,one-way anova also used to identify the association of kAP regarding IFAS supplementation where matriculated, house wife, and age showed significantly association as (p-value<0.05) whereas rest of the variable were not associated between the independent and dependent variables.

Conclusion

Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) is a critical public health intervention aimed at preventing and addressing iron deficiency anemia, particularly among pregnant women.