Despite the availability of iron supplements during pregnancy for all pregnant women receiving antenatal care in Saudi Arabia, anemia remains to be a global public health concern leading to adverse maternal, fetal, and neonatal effects. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Health Information Package Program on the knowledge anemic pregnant women had about anemia, their compliance with iron and folic acid supplementation, and their hemoglobin levels. A single-blind randomized controlled trial was carried out in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines between January and May 2021. Pregnant women (n = 196) aged 18-45 years old and diagnosed with anemia during the first trimester of their pregnancy were randomly assigned into two groups: the intervention group (Health Information Package Program plus routine care, n = 98) and the control group (routine care only, n = 98). Knowledge, the ability to select appropriate food, and hemoglobin levels were assessed at baseline and after three months, while compliance with iron and folic acid supplementation was also measured at the end of three months. This study indicated that the post-education mean knowledge score, food selection ability score, compliance rate, and hemoglobin level were significantly higher for the intervention group than for the control group. The Health Information Package Program with regular follow-ups using the WhatsApp platform was an effective educational intervention for anemic pregnant women.
Keywords: anemia; compliance; education program; knowledge; pregnant women.