Factors associated with compliance to iron-folic acid supplementation among pregnant women in rural Soro district, Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia: Cross sectional study

<strong>Background</strong>: Despite the advantages of iron and folic acid supplementation, it is reported that the proportion of pregnant women who have taken iron-folic acid supplements for 90 days or more during their last pregnancy was very low in Ethiopia. Therefore this study assessed the compliance to iron and folic acid supplements and its associated factors among pregnant women in rural Soro district, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. <strong>Methods</strong>: Cross-sectional study design was applied to conduct the study. The total sample size was 274. Women who live in rural Soro district at least for 6months and gave live birth 12 months prior to the survey were included in the study. Simple random sampling method was used to select the study subjects. Independent variables with p-value less than or equal to 0.25 during bivariate analysis were candidate for multivariable analysis. Finally, during multivariable analysis an independent variables with P-value less than 0.05 were declared as factors significantly associated with compliance to iron-folic acid supplementation during pregnancy. <strong>Results:</strong> From the whole study participants only 51(18.8%) women had taken iron folic acid supplements for at least 90 days during their last pregnancy. The odds of taking iron-folic acid supplements among pregnant women those who had ANC visit 4 and above times were 4.5 times higher than their counterparts who had no ANC visit [AOR(95%CI)= 4.50(1.18, 17.14)]. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> In this study higher proportion of pregnant women did not take adequate dose of iron and folic acid tablets during their last pregnancy. Women who had a frequent visit to health facilities for ante natal care were more likely to be compliant for iron folic acid supplements than their counterparts. Every effort should be done in the community and health facilities by concerned bodies working in the maternal health area to mobilize pregnant women to take the antenatal care for at least four times to achieve the minimum dose of iron and folic acid supplements.