Awareness of anaemia and educational level of pregnant women: a baseline assessment at Kattankudy in Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Anaemia in pregnancy is a common public health concern globally. It is linked to sociodemographic factors of individuals. There is a need for up-to-date information on awareness of anaemia among pregnant women. As a result, the study was conducted to determine pregnant women's awareness of anaemia and to investigate the relationship between educational level and awareness of anaemia. This study was done in the Kattankudy area in Batticaloa district, Sri Lanka. According to the consecutive sampling, 352 pregnant women who have registered at antenatal clinics (ANC) were interviewed through a semi-structured questionnaire that focuses on key aspects such as respondents' educational level, awareness of anaemia in terms of signs and symptoms, nutritionally balanced diet and treatment to prevent anaemia. The SPSS statistical software was used to analyse the data. According to the findings, 71.9%, 52% and 52% of the pregnant women were familiar with signs and symptoms like fatigue, tiredness/weakness and dizziness respectively. The majority of them had replied incorrectly for the other symptoms. The correct answer on nutritionally balanced diet and treatment to prevent anaemia was given by the majority of respondents. Meanwhile, 59.9% of pregnant women don’t know about treating hookworm infection to prevent anaemia. There was a significant association (p<0.05) between the educational level of pregnant women and awareness regarding signs and symptoms of anaemia, nutritionally balanced diet and treatment to prevent anaemia. As a result, during antenatal visits, awareness programmes should be done through adequate dietary counselling for pregnant women to mitigate the adverse effect of anaemia during pregnancy.