ABSTRACT

Malnutrition, including multiple micronutrient supplementation deficiencies, remains one of the major public health challenges, particularly in low-to-middle income countries. Micronutrient deficiencies affect people of all ages, but its effects appear more devastating in pregnant women and children. Poor maternal nutrition contributes to at least 20 percent of maternal deaths and increases the probability of poor pregnancy outcomes including intrauterine growth restriction, resulting in low birth weight, stunting, wasting and mortality. Health belief model is a psychological framework that explains the behavior of individuals towards their health by weighing their perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action and self-efficacy. This study used the administration of questionnaires to pregnant women in the urban areas of Abia state. This research assessed the behavior of 141 pregnant women in the urban areas of Abia state towards multiple micronutrient supplementation and health belief model served as a tool to measure their behaviors. The result from this study was divided into the socio- demographic and economic characteristics which showed that women within the age range of 26 to 35 years were used for the study with a percentage unit of 73.7%, who were in their first trimester, multiparous mothers with a percentage of 58.9%. The representative sample had a high percentage of Christians of 97.2%, educated up to tertiary level. From the study result, 79.4% had started antenatal, and 48.2% had attended antenatal less than four times because they were in their first trimester. The sample population consented to taking a range of multiple micronutrient supplements which include folic acid, calcium, vitamins C and B complex. Finally, the mean susceptibility of 0.16 and mean severity of 1.86 which means that they understood the extreme consequences of ignoring supplements during pregnancy. Hence, multiple micronutrient supplementation was prescribed f or the pregnant women depending on the unique health status of each woman.