Abstract
BackgroundNutritional anemia is the most common type of anemia worldwide and mainly includes iron, folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin C deficiencies. Anemia is a global public health problem affecting people in all age groups but the burden of the problem is higher in pregnant women. The study aimed to assess prevalence of anemia and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care in governmental health institutions in mekele town.MethodsInstitution based cross-sectional study was employed. Systematic random sampling procedure was employed to select 619 study subjects. Pretested questionnaire were used to collect the data. The predictive value of the variable to Anemia was identified by bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis.ResultThe overall prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was 19.7%. Meal frequency less than two per day [AOR 3.93 95% CI (2.0,7.9)], Low Dietary Diversity score [AOR 12.8 95% CI (6.4,25.6)], Medium Dietary Diversity score [AOR 2.4 95% CI (1.2,4.8)], Parity [AOR 2.3 95% CI (1.4,3.8)] and Meat consumption less than once per week [AOR 2.2 95% CI (1.0,4.9)] were found to be factors affecting Anemia in pregnant women.ConclusionAnemia among pregnant women is found to be mild public health problem in the study area. Parity, meal frequency, dietary diversity and meat consumption were significantly and independently affect anemia of pregnant women. Using family planning methods and improved meat consumption contributes for decreasing prevalence of anemia. Moreover, Diversifying food intake and increasing meal frequency of pregnant women is highly recommended.
Highlights
Nutritional anemia is the most common type of anemia worldwide and mainly includes iron, folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin C deficiencies
Using family planning methods and improved meat consumption contributes for decreasing prevalence of anemia
Facility based quantitative cross-sectional study was employed from February to April, 2014 at Mekelle town which is located at a distance of 783 km from Addis Abeba
Summary
Nutritional anemia is the most common type of anemia worldwide and mainly includes iron, folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin C deficiencies. Anemia is a global public health problem affecting people in all age groups but the burden of the problem is higher in pregnant women. Anemia is affecting 1.62 billion people globally [1]. Anemia is estimated to contribute to more than 115 000 maternal deaths and 591 000 prenatal deaths globally per year [2]. Nutritional anemia is the most common type of anemia worldwide and mainly includes iron, folic acid, vitamin. Iron deficiency contributes for half of the burden of anemia globally [6]. Iron deficiency affects 1.3 to 2.2 billion persons out of those 50% are women of reproductive age [7]. In Ethiopia nearly 17% of women with age 15–49 are anemic of these 22% are pregnant women [8]
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