COMPLIANCE WITH WEEKLY IRON FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMMENT AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN JANAMORA WOREDA,NORTHGONDAR ZONE, North West Amhara.

Abstract

Background: Adolescent nutrition is important to the health of girls and is relevant to maternal nutrition. Especially, pregnancies in adolescence have a higher risk of complications and higher mortality for mothers, infants and children, as well as poorer overall birth outcomes than pregnancies in older women. Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to iron deficiency anemia, making compliance with Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFAS) essential for their health. Objective: This study aimed to assess compliance with Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFAS) and identify factors influencing compliance among adolescent girls in Janamora District, North Gondar Zone, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 627 adolescent girls aged 10-19 years; Data was collected through structured questionnaires. The study was conducted from May 15 to June 15, 2024 in Janamora. Compliance defined as taking at least more than 6 IFA tablets within three months which is 50%. Besides Factors influencing compliance, those factors were analyzed using binary logistic regression using STATA version 17. To ensure the reliability and validity of the regression model, The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to assess the goodness-of-fit of the model and we found out the model is fit In the bivariable analysis, variables with a p-value below 0.2 were included in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant Results: Out of 636 participants, 627 students responded, yielding a response rate of 98.6%. The study found that 50.4% of respondents had good compliance with weekly iron folic acid supplementation (WIFAS). Among the respondents, 455 (72.6%) reported taking iron folic acid supplements during the data collection period, but 456 (72.7%) experienced interruptions, primarily due to side effects, and 233 (37.2%) did not take WIFAS at all currently. multivariate analysis, several factors were identified as significant predictors of higher compliance with WIFAS among adolescent girls. old-age (18-19 years) was strongly associated with better compliance compared to younger-age10-13 adolescents (AOR: 5.9, 95% CI: [1.93,1.82). Maternal education played a crucial role, with girls whose mothers had secondary education or above being xi significantly 2.38 times more likely to comply (AOR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.35 4,19) than cannot read and write and able to read and write. Furthermore, Access to accurate information about iron and folic acid supplements 3.7 times the likelihood of compliance (AOR: 3.7, 95% CI: 2.3,5,97) those who had por source of information. Conclusion: The study found a 50.4% good compliance rate, highlighting the need for improved programmatic efforts to sustain high adherence rates. moreover, the comparative analysis revealed that age, maternal education, knowledge of wifas, occupation of mother, and source of information are associated with significant likelihood of compliance with WIFAs, while older age, source of information, knowledge of wifas, education of mother, occupation of mother were correlated with more likelihood of adherence. Addressing these factors through targeted educational campaigns and community support can enhance compliance among adolescent girls.