Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries

The prevalence of maternal anaemia remains unacceptably high in developing countries. At the same time, the percentage of women who consume one or more Fe+folic acid (IFA) tablets during pregnancy remains persistently low. The objective of the present study was to identify where, within antenatal ca...

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Main Authors: Sununtnasuk, Celeste, D'Agostino, Alexis, Fiedler, John L.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Cambridge University Press 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147917
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author Sununtnasuk, Celeste
D'Agostino, Alexis
Fiedler, John L.
author_browse D'Agostino, Alexis
Fiedler, John L.
Sununtnasuk, Celeste
author_facet Sununtnasuk, Celeste
D'Agostino, Alexis
Fiedler, John L.
author_sort Sununtnasuk, Celeste
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The prevalence of maternal anaemia remains unacceptably high in developing countries. At the same time, the percentage of women who consume one or more Fe+folic acid (IFA) tablets during pregnancy remains persistently low. The objective of the present study was to identify where, within antenatal care (ANC) programmes, pregnant women falter in obtaining and consuming an ideal minimum of 180 IFA tablets.Data from Demographic and Health Surveys were used to develop a schematic which identifies four sequential ‘falter points’ to consuming 180 IFA tablets: ANC attendance, IFA receipt or purchase, IFA consumption and the number of tablets consumed.Twenty-two countries with high burdens of undernutrition.A sample of 162 958 women, 15 to 49 years of age, with a live birth in the past 5 years.Across all countries, 83 % of all pregnant women had at least one ANC visit, 81 % of whom received IFA tablets. Of those receiving IFA tablets, 95 % consumed at least one. Overall adherence to the ideal supplementation regimen, however, was extremely low: only 8 % consumed 180 or more IFA tablets. There were only two countries in which the percentage of pregnant women consuming 180 or more tablets exceeded 30 %.While most women receive and take some IFA tablets, few receive or take enough. The analysis identifies where ANC-based distribution of IFA falters in each country. It enables policy makers to design and prioritize follow-up activities to more precisely identify barriers, an essential next step to improving IFA distribution through ANC.
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publishDate 2016
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spelling CGSpace1479172024-11-15T08:52:46Z Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries Sununtnasuk, Celeste D'Agostino, Alexis Fiedler, John L. maternal and child health anaemia supplementation health nutrition children food consumption iron folic acid The prevalence of maternal anaemia remains unacceptably high in developing countries. At the same time, the percentage of women who consume one or more Fe+folic acid (IFA) tablets during pregnancy remains persistently low. The objective of the present study was to identify where, within antenatal care (ANC) programmes, pregnant women falter in obtaining and consuming an ideal minimum of 180 IFA tablets.Data from Demographic and Health Surveys were used to develop a schematic which identifies four sequential ‘falter points’ to consuming 180 IFA tablets: ANC attendance, IFA receipt or purchase, IFA consumption and the number of tablets consumed.Twenty-two countries with high burdens of undernutrition.A sample of 162 958 women, 15 to 49 years of age, with a live birth in the past 5 years.Across all countries, 83 % of all pregnant women had at least one ANC visit, 81 % of whom received IFA tablets. Of those receiving IFA tablets, 95 % consumed at least one. Overall adherence to the ideal supplementation regimen, however, was extremely low: only 8 % consumed 180 or more IFA tablets. There were only two countries in which the percentage of pregnant women consuming 180 or more tablets exceeded 30 %.While most women receive and take some IFA tablets, few receive or take enough. The analysis identifies where ANC-based distribution of IFA falters in each country. It enables policy makers to design and prioritize follow-up activities to more precisely identify barriers, an essential next step to improving IFA distribution through ANC. 2016-01-01 2024-06-21T09:23:30Z 2024-06-21T09:23:30Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147917 en Cambridge University Press Sununtnasuk, Celeste; D'Agostino, Alexis; Fiedler, John L. 2016. Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries. Public Health Nutrition 19(4): 732 - 742. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980015001652
spellingShingle maternal and child health
anaemia
supplementation
health
nutrition
children
food consumption
iron
folic acid
Sununtnasuk, Celeste
D'Agostino, Alexis
Fiedler, John L.
Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries
title Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries
title_full Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries
title_fullStr Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries
title_full_unstemmed Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries
title_short Iron + folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care: identifying barriers across countries
title_sort iron folic acid distribution and consumption through antenatal care identifying barriers across countries
topic maternal and child health
anaemia
supplementation
health
nutrition
children
food consumption
iron
folic acid
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147917
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AT dagostinoalexis ironfolicaciddistributionandconsumptionthroughantenatalcareidentifyingbarriersacrosscountries
AT fiedlerjohnl ironfolicaciddistributionandconsumptionthroughantenatalcareidentifyingbarriersacrosscountries