Abstract:
Pregnant women who have anaemia are more likely to experience preterm birth, low
birth weight, perinatal and n eonatal mortality, which is one of the major public health
issues. In the South African province of Mpumalanga, in the Matibidi Village of the
Ehlanzeni District , the study's goal was to explore and identify risk factors for anaemia
in pregnancy. It was do ne using a qualitative approach that combined descriptive and
exploratory designs. The population consisted of pregnant women of age 18 years
years and above. A Non probability purposive sampling method was used because
the participants were aware of the risks associated with pregnancy. Immediately after
receiving permission from the U niversity of Venda Research Ethics C ommittee
( UVREC), the researcher sought permission to access the villages from the Ch ief and
Ward Councillor of Matibiti Village . I n depth one to one interview s were conducted
using a semi structured approach . D ata saturation was reached at participant number
16, however, the researcher continued to interview a total of 20 participants. Fo ur
criteria , dependability, conf i rmability, transferability, and credibility were used
to ensure trustworthiness. Te s ch's six steps were applied to analyze the qualitative
data . The findings showed that various factors in Matibiti Village contribut e to anaemia
in pregnant women. These included the socio economic status, pre existing maternal
chronic conditions, and religious and traditional beliefs and cultural practices of the
participants R ecommendations were made based on the study's findings.
R ecommendations included the need to start administering intravenous supplements
like Ferramed to pregnant women who are anaemic to help improve their haemoglobin
levels; health workers should be aware of religious and cultural practices interfering
with a dherence to the proper pregnant health care so that they emphasi z e the ir
urgency during health talks.
