Anemia among Pregnant Women in Kelela Health Center, South Wollo, Northeast Ethiopia
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Date
2016-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Anemia is a significant health challenge in both low- and high-income countries with major
consequences in public health as well as socio-economic development. It is regarded as a major
risk factor for unfavorable outcome of pregnancy both for the mother and the fetus. Current
setting-specific information on this formidable threat is essential to design and implement
appropriate control interventions. However, there is lack of adequate information on the
magnitude of anemia among pregnant women in Kelela, northeast Ethiopia. This study was,
therefore, done to determine the prevalence of anemia and associated factors among pregnant
women attending Kelela health center (KHC). A cross-sectional study was carried out among
pregnant women who came for their antenatal care follow-up between January and May 2016. A
pretested questionnaire was used to gather socio-economic, demographic and clinical
characteristics of the participants. Hemoglobin (Hb) was measured using the Sahli-Hellinge
method and anemia status determined (Hb<11.0g/dl). Univariate and multivariate logistic
regression analysis were used to test the association between anemia and socio-demographic
variables (p<0.05). The prevalence of anemia was 58.8% (n=243); mild 40.8%, moderate 59.8%,
and no severe cases. Women having birth interval of <2 years were twice likely to be anemic
than those with ≥2 years birth interval (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.235, 95% confidence
interval (CI) 8.427-8.677, p 0.001). Moreover, anemia was significantly higher among the
multigravidae (AOR 0.212, 95% CI 0.048-0.941, p 0.041) and those in their third trimester of
pregnancy (AOR 6.582, 95% CI 1.851-23.401, p 0.004). The prevalence of anemia in the study
was high, although there were no severe cases, calling for immediate intervention.
Keywords: Anemia, pregnancy, prevalence, maternal, KHC
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Keywords
Anemia, pregnancy, prevalence, maternal, KHC