Unravelling the Gaps in Anaemia Control among Pregnant Women- A Qualitative Study from an Urban Setting
LC01-LC04
Correspondence
Dr. B Charumathi,
Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Technical Sciences, Thandalam, Chennai-602105, Tamil Nadu, India.
E-mail: jothicharu1995@gmail.com
Introduction: Nutritional anaemia is one of the biggest public health problems of our country. Inspite of anaemia control being one of the oldest National Health Programmes, the prevalence of anaemia among the pregnant women has practically remained the same since the last five decades. This implies that something critical is being missed in the entire chain of operations of the programme.
Aim: To explore the missing links and real factors impacting the success of anaemia control among pregnant women.
Materials and Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among currently pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of a Tertiary Care Hospital in urban Chennai, India from June 2022 to August 2022. In-depth interviews were conducted with the pregnant women to discover the pregnant mothers’ perspectives and challenges in compliance with the anaemia control initiatives.
Results: A total of 25 pregnant mothers were interviewed in the study. The mean age was 28.3±4.07 years. Eight mothers were primiparous, and 17 multiparous. 12 mothers were anaemic as per their last Haemoglobin (Hb) estimation. Though there was reasonably good knowledge among the pregnant mothers regarding anaemia and its treatment, there was a significant gap in compliance to the anaemia prophylaxis/treatment. Several common critical issues surfaced in the study which was related to the social norms, family dynamics, health system and support related to management of side-effects.
Conclusion: It is essential to address the operational gaps and the unique issues of treatment compliance in our society. Behavioural change communication needs to be specific and targeted, mothers need a better health and social support system to manage the side-effects of Iron-Folic Acid (IFA) and the healthcare system needs to involve other key decision makers in the household like husbands, mother in laws to provide a supportive environment.