Table 5.
Anemia prevention knowledge and effect of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine on anemia in pregnant women receiving antenatal care at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana, June–August 2009*
| Variable | IPTp-SP users (n = 202) | Non-IPTp-SP users (n = 161) | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemoglobin, g/dL | |||
| Mean ± SD | 11.6 ± 1.6 | 9.7 ± 1.8 | < 0.001 |
| Anemia (< 11.0) | 46 (22.8%) | 94 (58.4%) | < 0.001 |
| Severe anemia (< 7.0) | 7 (3.5%) | 20 (12.4%) | < 0.001 |
| ≥ 11.0 | 149 (73.7%) | 47 (29.2%) | < 0.001 |
| Anemia prevention knowledge | |||
| Food supplement | 49 (24.2%) | 38 (23.6%) | 0.030 |
| Adequate nutrient | 148 (73.3%) | 109 (67.7%) | |
| None | 5 (2.5%) | 14 (8.7%) | |
| Food supplement | |||
| Yes | 168 (83.2%) | 134 (83.2%) | 0.900 |
| No | 34 (16.8%) | 27 (16.8%) | |
| Food allergies | |||
| Yes | 4 (2.0%) | 3 (1.9%) | 0.761 |
| No | 198 (98.0%) | 158 (98.1%) |
IPTp-SP, intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine; SD = standard deviation. Pearson chi-square test adjusting for the Yates correction for continuity where appropriate were used to compare for statistical differences among the pregnant women. For instances in which there were too few persons per cell for the Pearson chi-square test to be used, Fisher exact test was used to compare discrete outcomes. Differences between group means were assessed by using analysis of variance and statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05.