Knowledge and Practices on the Prevention of Anemia in Pregnancy in the Cascades Region (Burkina Faso)

Abstract

Objectives: To study the knowledge and practices on anemia prevention during pregnancy among health professionals, community health workers and pregnant women. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study in antenatal clinics in the Cascades region in Burkina Faso during one month, from May to June 2012. We gathered data on knowledge on the prevention of anemia in pregnancy among health professionals, community health workers, and pregnant women through a questionnaire. Practice performance of health professionals working in these antenatal clinics were gathered through direct observation and was judged satisfactory if they realized 80% of expected acts of antenatal care. For community health workers and pregnant women, recognition of nutritional deficiencies as the predominant cause of anemia in pregnancy, was the main way to assess their knowledge on the subject. Results: A total of 124 health professionals, 77 community health workers and 1763 pregnant women were enrolled. Health professionals knew the definition, the diagnosis and the main causes of anemia in pregnancy respectively in 46.7%, 53.2% and 46.0% of cases. The practice of prenatal consultation was satisfactory in 13.1% of cases. Only 19.5% of community health workers and 19.6% of pregnant women were able to identify nutritional deficiencies as a potential cause of anemia. Conclusions: Any intervention aimed at improving the prevention of anemia in pregnancy in Burkina Faso should focus on the strengthening of the skill of the actors and the knowledge of pregnant women in the field.