Objectives
To explore the prevalence and socio-demographic determining factors of anaemia among pregnant women in rural areas of Bangladesh
Methods
WV Bangladesh and ICDDR,B conducted a cross-sectional survey in Mymensingh and Rajshahi regions of Bangladesh between July to October 2014. Blood samples of 520 pregnant women were collected using Haemoglobin Analyzer. Bivariate logistic regression was used to identify determining factors of anaemia.
Results
Overall, 61% of pregnant women were anaemic in the study area. Prevalence of mild, moderate & severe anaemia were 36% , 25% and 0.4 % respectively. Anaemia is more prevalent among women with no education compared to those with secondary and above education (67% vs 57%). Similar findings were obtained for husband’s educational attainment (62% vs 55%). Anaemia was higher among women whose husband was unemployed compared to those who were employed (68% vs 59%). Bivariate analysis revealed that the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women from highest quintile was 46% lower compared to women from lowest quintile [OR 0.54(P<0.05)]. However, we found no association of anaemia in pregnancy with women's age, education, occupation & their husbands education and occupation.
Conclusions
Socio-economic status is a key determinant of anaemia in pregnancy. Proven interventions like iron supplementation in pregnancy, nutrition education to diversify diets, fortification of foods with iron, deworming or combinations of these interventions can be tried to reduce prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women.
