Risk Factors For Maternal Anemia Among Women Attending Antenatal Care In Moroto Regional Referral Hospital: A Case Control Study

Abstract

Background: Maternal anemia continues to be a serious public health issue because of its link to poor maternal and fetal outcomes. The study’s objective was to assess the association between risk factors and maternal anemia among women attending antenatal care in Moroto Regional Referral Hospital. Methods: A case-control study involving 100 pregnant women -50 cases and 50 controls- was conducted between November 2021 to March 2022. Pregnant women who had hemoglobin levels below 11 g/dl at their first antenatal appointment were considered cases, while pregnant women with hemoglobin levels of 11 g/dl and higher were considered controls. A semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to gather the data, and Stata version 15.0 was used for analysis. The risk factors for anemia in pregnant women were determined using a bivariate and multivariate logistic regression model. To find the significant link, adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-value were utilized. Results: The independent risk/protective factors were; residential area, wealth category, an education level (AOR=0.16, 95% CI: 0.03 -0.89), Dietary diversity score (DDS) (AOR=0.51, 95% CI: 0.14 -1.82) and gestational age (AOR=3.78, 95%CI: 1.36,10.55). Conclusion: In this study, the protective factors were; being an urban residential area, high education level, high wealth category, and high dietary diversity. Increasing gestational age was a risk factor. Prevention strategies should include improving livelihood and household income for women of reproductive age, advocating for and encouraging girl child education, community-based health education and counseling on nutrition, and improving household dietary diversity. Keywords: Maternal anemia, Anemia Risk factors, Pregnancy, Antenatal care