Prevalence of Anaemia in pregnancy and its associated factors in Akwa Ibom State,Nigeria

Authors

  • Keyukemi Bernard Ekpotu University of Uyo Teaching Hospital
  • Uwemedimbuk Ekanem Consultant Community Medicine physician, Department Of Community Health, University Of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
  • Oyanade Adedeji Professor of Community medicine, Department of Community Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State

Abstract

Background: Anemia in pregnancy affects over half of the pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries. It poses specific risks to both mother and foetus.  This study set out to assess the prevalence of anemia and its prevailing risk factors among pregnant women in rural and urban areas of Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study. An interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data. Descriptive statistics were presented in tables and figures. Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact were performed to examine the relationship between categorical variables. Statistical significance was set at a p-value of 0.05.

Result: An equal number of urban and rural respondents (90) participated in this study. The average haemoglobin level was 10.801.25g/dl and 10.351.79g/dl for urban and rural respondents respectively. The majority of the respondents were anaemic (61.1%), with 49.1 of these having mild anemia and 50.9% having moderate anemia. The average daily dietary intake of iron was 17.7mg (6.1-37.8mg), and there was no significant difference between the iron intake of urban and rural respondents. Among the sociodemographic, obstetric, and dietary factors evaluated, only pregnancy trimester was significantly associated with anemia in pregnancy among urban respondents.

Conclusion: This study found an alarmingly high prevalence of anemia. This calls for promotion and implementation of proper nutrition education during pregnancy. These findings also support the need to strengthen policies on implementation of the continuous administration of iron and folic acid supplements as a routine ANC drug in health facilities.

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Published

2022-10-21

How to Cite

Ekpotu, K. B., Ekanem, U., & Adedeji, O. (2022). Prevalence of Anaemia in pregnancy and its associated factors in Akwa Ibom State,Nigeria. The Nigerian Health Journal, 22(3), 288–298. Retrieved from https://tnhjph.com/index.php/tnhj/article/view/604