Community attitudes to pregnancy, anaemia, iron and folate supplementation in urban and rural Lagos, south-western Nigeria

Oluwatoyin O. Ejidokun*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: to identify community perspectives and attitudes to pregnancy, anaemia, iron and folate supplements during pregnancy in Lagos, south-western Nigeria. Design: qualitative using focus group discussions, observational data and in-depth interviews. Setting: Amukoko, a peri-urban slum area and Ibese a rural coastal area in Lagos, south-western Nigeria. Participants: 23 pregnant women and two health-care providers. Findings: maternal anaemia is not perceived as a priority health problem by pregnant women. Knowledge of the signs and symptoms of anaemia is limited among rural pregnant women.The recognition of maternal complications associated with anaemia is low among pregnant women and some health-care providers. Severe blood loss at or after delivery is sometimes attributed to the excessive use of iron and folate supplements. Sustaining the motivation to continue taking iron tablets and communicating the benefits of iron supplementation which could encourage compliance was also lacking. Implications for practice: an understanding of the local beliefs, attitudes and practices regarding pregnancy is needed to design more effective methods of health education for pregnant women and to provide maternal services which are 'culturally acceptable'.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)89-95
Number of pages7
JournalMidwifery
Volume16
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2000
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author would like to acknowledge the pregnant women who participated in this study, the staff at St. Theresa's Primary Health Care Centre, Ibese Primary Health Care Centre, Ojo Local Government Area, Lagos State, Ms Kemi Omotuyole and Ms Buki Peters for their assistance with data collection. The study was funded by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, UK and the Overseas Development Administration.

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