Foetal Health Locus of Control and iron supplementation adherence among pregnant women in Bali

Objective: This study aims to explore whether adherence to taking iron supplementation is associated with health beliefs as measured by the Foetal Health Locus of Control (FHLC). Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is major health problem in Indonesia. Non-adherence to iron supplement intake has been one factor that hindered the effectiveness of an iron supplementation in reducing anaemia during pregnancy. Insufficient attention has been given to why such a phenomenon occurs. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in South Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. Pregnant women were invited to complete a self-administered questionnaire comprising questions on the frequency of taking iron supplement in addition to the FHLC scale. Results: This study was among the first using the FHLC scale in a non-English-speaking background country. Of the 360 pregnant women invited to participate, 299 returned completed questionnaires. Conclusion: Using the FHLC scale we learned that Internal and Chance scales were associated with supplementation adherence. It is recommended that health counselling be introduced to improve iron supplementation adherence among pregnant women in Bali taking into consideration these predictors of adherence.