OBJECTIVES: In our research, we investigated how mothers are aware the importance of iron supplementation, and whether they pay enough attention to prevent iron deficiency anaemia, and how these factors affect mothers' attitudes during their medication therapy and nutrition.

METHODS: Our cross-sectional and quantitative online self-survey questionnaire was completed in Hungary by participants (n = 175) who were pregnant women in the second-, third trimester, and mothers who raised a child aged 0-2 years. The method of sampling was targeted, and it was an expert sampling. Descriptive statistics, Chi²-test (p <0.05) was performed with Microsoft Excel 2010.

RESULTS: Iron deficiency anaemia was established among half of the respondents, 3/5 of whom regularly used the iron supplement prescribed by the doctor, and only 1/4 of them changed their diets in the direction of iron-rich nutrition. 3-4 professionals informed 25.43% of the respondents about the complex treatment of anaemia, and 32.57% of the subjects felt it completely personalized. Pregnant women accepted oral medical therapy, but did not change their nutrition, or only slightly, to prevent iron deficiency (p>0.05). Pregnant women who trusted the advice of professionals and who have been regularly informed by a number of professionals (p<0.05) in higher quality (p<0.05) about the ways to prevent iron deficiency anaemia, had a more significant nutrition and medical compliance as well. If the experts did not pay enough attention to the prevention and avoiding of iron deficiency anaemia, then those women with less knowledge (p<0.05) did not pay attention to it either.

CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of anaemia during pregnancy is very frequent, and its diet-based treatment is only slightly followed by those taking pregnant women, whereas the implementation of medication compliance is more significant. The compliance can be improved by providing uniform, regular, complex, personalized information by a number of professionals.