Abstract
BackgroundAnemia is a condition characterized by a decline in the number of functional red blood cells or hemoglobin. Women of reproductive age from low- and middle-income countries are at higher risk of anemia, which could lead to prenatal, obstetric and perinatal complications. The aim of our study was to explore associations between anemia status and a set of demographic, socio-economic and reproductive factors, among Ecuadorian women of reproductive age (WRA).MethodsWe used data from non-pregnant, WRA (≥12 and ≤49 years) women enrolled in the nationally representative cross-sectional Ecuadorian National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012 (ENSANUT-ECU 2012). Anemia and moderate-severe anemia were assessed using hemoglobin concentrations cutoffs of <12 g/dL and <11 g/dL, respectively. Logistic regression was used to obtain unadjusted and adjusted prevalence odds ratios (aOR). All analyzes were adjusted for multi-stage sampling, stratification and clustering.ResultsThe study population included a subset of 7415 non-pregnant WRA. Mean hemoglobin concentration was 12.84 g/dL (95% CI = 12.8–12.9). The overall prevalence of anemia and moderate-severe anemia was 16.8% and 5.0%, respectively. Some factors were associated with an increase in anemia prevalence odds: living in Guayaquil (aOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.16–2.84) and Quito (aOR 1.84, 95% CI 1.17–2.90) compared to living in the rural Amazon, having given birth to more than four alive children compared with being nulliparous (aOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.00–3.43), currently taking contraceptives compared with former use (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.09–1.97). In addition, moderate-severe anemia was associated with age and region of residence.ConclusionIn 2012, the prevalence of anemia among Ecuadorian WRA was considered a mild public health concern. However, we identified groups with higher anemia prevalence. Thus, emphasizing the importance of analyzing the prevalence in sub-populations of WRA and identifying populations where more frequent surveillance may be helpful.
Highlights
Anemia is a condition characterized by a reduction in the number of functional red blood cells or hemoglobin, the protein responsible for oxygen transportation [1, 2]
Some factors were associated with an increase in anemia prevalence odds: living in Guayaquil and Quito compared to living in the rural Amazon, having given birth to more than four alive children compared with being nulliparous, currently taking contraceptives compared with former use
Moderate-severe anemia was associated with age and region of residence
Summary
Anemia is a condition characterized by a reduction in the number of functional red blood cells or hemoglobin, the protein responsible for oxygen transportation [1, 2]. Anemia is a particular public health problem among women 15–49 years year of age in lowand middle-income countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 496 million non-pregnant women with anemia worldwide in 2011, with an increasing trend from 1995 [8,9,10]. Among this group, the prevalence of anemia was 32.8% worldwide in 2016 [11]. Women of reproductive age from low- and middle-income countries are at higher risk of anemia, which could lead to prenatal, obstetric and perinatal complications. The aim of our study was to explore associations between anemia status and a set of demographic, socio-economic and reproductive factors, among Ecuadorian women of reproductive age (WRA)
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