Prevalence of Dietary Supplement use and its Relation to Maternal Characteristics in Iranian Pregnant Women

Abstract

Background: Based on the available evidence, diet alone cannot fulfill maternal and fetal nutritional demands during pregnancy. Therefore, taking dietary supplements are recommended during pregnancy worldwide. Maternal socio-demographic characteristics can affect dietary supplements consumption during pregnancy. Little information is available with regard to the dietary supplement consumption in Iranian pregnant women. Objective: This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of dietary supplement use in Iranian pregnant woman. Methods: 250 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy attending the obstetric clinic affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences between February and August 2018 were asked to complete a questionnaire. Information including socio-demographic and other related characteristics of precipitants and use of any dietary supplements during their current pregnancy was collected. Chi-square test and independent sample t-test were used to determine the association between variables. Results: The results showed that dietary supplement use among Iranian pregnant women was relatively high (69%). Folic acid was the most common supplement used by the participants (66%) followed by multivitamin (52%) and Iron (48.6%). However, only 26.4% of pregnant women reported consumption of folic acid prior to pregnancy. The consumption of dietary supplements was directly associated with the age (P=0.003), level of education (P<0.001), family income (P=0.03), and the history of miscarriage (P=0.047). Conclusion: Although dietary supplement use among Iranian pregnant women was relatively high, pregnant women with poor socio-economic status do not consume required dietary supplements. Thus, vulnerable groups can benefit from educational and financial supports during pregnancy.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice related multivitamin supplements among pregnant women in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

“…A study conducted among Iranian women, showed that dietary supplements consumed by 69%, which is relatively high. The most used supplement was folic acid with a percentage of 66%, then vitamins with a percentage of 52%, and then iron with a percentage of 48.6% (Talank et al, 2019). Another study conducted in Riyadh among pregnant women to determine the prevalence of nutritional supplements and its associations between demographics reveled that higher percentage approximately 71.5% was significantly associated with level of education, family income and number of children.…”