Abstract:
Objective: In Ethiopia, iron folate tablets are prescribed for all pregnant mothers during their antenatal visits and
given for free; however, only limited data are available on their adherence. Therefore, the aim of this study was to
assess adherence to iron folate supplementation and its associated factors among pregnant women in West Dembia
district, northwest Ethiopia. An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 348 pregnant women that
had at least one antenatal care visit. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were employed to identify the predictors at p-value < 0.2 and 0.05 respectively.
Results: Adherence to iron folate supplementation in this study was 52.9% [95% CI (47.7, 58.0%)]. Women who had
good knowledge about anemia (AOR: 2.63, 95% CI 1.51, 4.59), knowledge about iron folate supplementation (AOR:
2.82, 95% CI 1.52–5.23), four and more ANC visits (AOR: 6.97, 95% CI 3.25, 14.96), and anemia history during current
pregnancy (AOR: 13.87, 95% CI 3.75, 51.35) were significantly associated with adherence to iron folate supplementation. Therefore, preventing prenatal anemia, improving knowledge of women about anaemia and iron folate supplementation, and increasing ANC services are essential to increase adherence
