Influence of food habits and supplementations in causing anaemia; a study among the pregnant women attending Antenatal Clinics at Teaching Hospital, Batticaloa

Introduction: Anaemia in pregnancy is a well-recognized condition. The pre-pregnancy and antenatal care are designed to identify and correct this condition. This study aimed to analyse the meal pattern, iron supplementation and deworming treatment by the pregnant mother in Batticaloa Sri Lanka, concerning the prevalence of anaemia. Materials & Methods: A descriptive study was conducted among pregnant mothers in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka in 2022. A self-administered questionnaire was used. A report on the haemoglobin level was obtained from the pregnancy record. A haemoglobin level, of less than 11 g/dL was taken as the reference point. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. Statistical software SPSS V.19 was used for this. Results: 207 pregnant women were enrolled; 82(39.61%) had anaemia. Fifty per cent of women with a monthly income up to Rs. 10,000.00 had anaemia. Mothers who had two meals a day had a higher incidence (68.75%). Those who consumed fruit and vegetables daily had the lowest level (27.27%). Avoiding iron-rich food showed a higher incidence (53.57%). Fifty-four per cent of the mothers did not take iron supplementation; anaemia was noted in 51.79% of them. Eighty-nine per cent of the women did not take deworming treatment and anaemia was noted in 40.22% of them. On those who consumed tea immediately after meals (n-16), 9 mothers developed anaemia. Conclusion: A higher prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women in the Batticaloa region compared to other regions of Sri Lanka could be attributed to poor compliance with iron supplementation. Meal patterns had an association with family income. Avoiding consuming tea immediately after a meal appeared a good practice. Pregnant mothers must be encouraged to have deworming treatment, to minimize the incidence of anaemia.