Adherence to Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) Intake Among Pregnant Women: a Systematic Review Meta-Analysis

Publication Year: October 2021

Authors: Ita Daryanti Saragih, Eva Felipe Dimog, Ice Septriani Saragih, Chia-Ju Lin

Contributing Organization: Midwifery

Background: This systematic review aims to globally identify adherence to iron and folic acid supplementation and associated factors among pregnant women.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted among databases from inception to October 20, 2020, including all cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies, using the Joanna Briggs Institute tool to assess study quality. A meta-analysis was performed to synthesize the pooled odds ratio for iron and folic acid supplementation adherence using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was measured using the I2 statistic, and Egger’s test was used to assess publication bias, and 18 studies were chosen for review and analysis.

Results: The results displayed the pooled odds ratio for iron and folic acid supplementation adherence under different circumstances: primipara vs multipara was 3.91, anemia vs non-anaemia was 1.09, knowledgeable vs limited knowledge of anemia was 0.32, and knowledgeable vs limited knowledge of iron and folic acid supplementation was 2.48.

Conclusion: The results provided evidence that factors positively associated with iron and folic acid supplementation adherence included having one pregnancy, anemia, and being knowledgeable of both anemia and iron and folic acid supplementation.

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