Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan 22:12:452.
doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_551_23. eCollection 2023.

Awareness and practices in preventing maternal iron deficiency among pregnant women living in urban slum areas in Makassar City, Indonesia

Aidah Luthfiah Syarif  1 , Ansariadi Ansariadi  2 , Wahiduddin Wahiduddin  2 , Eri Wijaya  2 , Ridwan Amiruddin  2 , Citrakesumasari Citrakesumasari  3 , Hasanuddin Ishak  4
Affiliations

Awareness and practices in preventing maternal iron deficiency among pregnant women living in urban slum areas in Makassar City, Indonesia

Aidah Luthfiah Syarif et al. J Educ Health Promot. .

Abstract

Background: During pregnancy, the body requires more complex nutritional intake. Therefore, problems with fulfilling nutrition during pregnancy occur often. One of the most common nutritional problems in pregnancy is iron deficiency anemia, the most widespread micronutrient problem and the most difficult to overcome worldwide. This study aimed to determine awareness and prevention behavior associated with the incidence of iron deficiency in pregnant women living in urban slum areas.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The data collection used KoboToolbox, an Android-based tool. Iron status was examined by serum ferritin level assay using ELISA at the Microbiology Laboratory Unit of Hasanuddin University Hospital.

Results: The prevalence of pregnant women who experienced iron deficiency was 78%. The logistic regression analysis showed that poor awareness (AOR = 3.03, CI 95% 1.26-7.29, P = 0.013) and practices in taking iron enhancers (AOR = 2.85, CI 95% 1.18-6.92, P = 0.020) became the main factors associated with iron deficiency among pregnant women.

Conclusions: Poor awareness and practices regarding consuming iron enhancers increased the risk of iron deficiency among pregnant women living in urban slum areas. Iron deficiency is a major health concern for pregnant women, especially those living in slum settlements, which must be addressed. A more optimal healthcare system for pregnant women may reduce the incidence of iron anemia in pregnancy by improving health promotion and optimizing healthcare services.

Keywords: Awareness and prevention; Urban slum areas; maternal iron deficiency; serum ferritin level.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of participants
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ekwere TA, Ekanem AM. Maternal knowledge, food restriction and prevention strategies related to anaemia in pregnancy: A cross-sectional study. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2015;2:331–8.
    1. WHO Prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women (aged 15-49) (%) 2021
    1. The World Bank Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women (%)-Least developed countries: UN classification | Data. 2019
    1. Shah T, Khaskheli MS, Ansari S, Lakhan H, Shaikh F, Zardari AA, et al. Gestational Anemia and its effects on neonatal outcome, in the population of Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Saudi J Biol Sci. 2022;29:83–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sari YAP, Wahiduddin W, Ansariadi A, Bustan N, Russeng SS, Sirajuddin S, et al. Determinants of low birth weight occurrence in Bahteramas regional general hospital, Southeast Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2022;10:1107–13.