scholarly journals Prevalence of and factors associated with anaemia in women of reproductive age in Bangladesh, Maldives and Nepal: Evidence from nationally-representative survey data

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0245335
Author(s):  
Md. Ashfikur Rahman ◽  
Md. Sazedur Rahman ◽  
Muhammad Aziz Rahman ◽  
Ewa A. Szymlek-Gay ◽  
Riaz Uddin ◽  
...  

Background Anaemia is a significant public health problem in most South-Asian countries, causing increased maternal and child mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with anaemia in women of reproductive age in Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal. Methods We used the nationally-representative Demographic and Health Surveys Program data collected from women of reproductive age (15–49 years) in 2011 in Bangladesh (n = 5678), 2016 in Maldives (n = 6837), and 2016 in Nepal (n = 6419). Anaemia was categorized as mild (haemoglobin [Hb] of 10.0–10.9 g/dL for pregnant women and 11.0–11.9 g/dL for non-pregnant women), moderate (Hb of 7.0–9.9 g/dL for pregnant women and 8.0–10.9 g/dL for non-pregnant women), and severe (Hb <7.0 g/dL for pregnant women and <8.0 g/dL for non-pregnant women). Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with anaemia. Results The prevalence of anaemia was 41.8% in Bangladesh, 58.5% in Maldives, and 40.6% in Nepal. In Bangladesh, postpartum amenorrhoeic, non-educated, and pregnant women were more likely to have moderate/severe anaemia compared to women who were menopausal, had secondary education, and were not pregnant, respectively. In Maldives, residence in urban areas, underweight, having undergone female sterilization, current pregnancy, and menstruation in the last six weeks were associated with increased odds of moderate/severe anaemia. In Nepal, factors associated with increased odds of moderate/severe anaemia were having undergone female sterilization and current pregnancy. Conclusion Anaemia remains a significant public health issue among 15-49-year-old women in Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal, which requires urgent attention. Effective policies and programmes for the control and prevention of anaemia should take into account the unique factors associated with anaemia identified in each country. In all three countries, strategies for the prevention and control of anaemia should particularly focus on women who are pregnant, underweight, or have undergone sterilization.

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno F. Sunguya ◽  
Yue Ge ◽  
Linda Mlunde ◽  
Rose Mpembeni ◽  
Germana Leyna ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Anemia in pregnancy is behind a significant burden of maternal mortality and poor birth outcomes globally. Efforts to address it need evidence on trends and its pertinent factors as they vary from one area to another. Methods We pooled data of 23,203 women of reproductive age whose hemoglobin levels were measured from two Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys (TDHS). Of them, 2,194 women were pregnant. Analyses employed descriptive analyses to determine the burden of anemia, its characteristics, and severity; GIS mapping to determine the regional changes of anemia between 2005 and 2015; and logistic regression to determine the remaining determinants of anemia among pregnant women using Stata 15. Results The burden of anemia among pregnant women in Tanzania has remained unprecedently high, and varies between regions. There was no significant decline of anemia in general between the two periods after adjusting for individual, households, reproductive, and child characteristics [AOR = 0.964, 95% CI = 0.774–1.202, p = 0.747). Anemia is currently prevalent in 57% of pregnant women in Tanzania. The prevalence is more likely to be higher among women aged 15–19 years than those aged between 20–34 years. It is more likely to be prevalent among those within large families, with no formal education, food insecurity, lack of health insurance, had no antimalaria during pregnancy, and had low frequency of ANC attendance. On the other hand, delivery in a health facility may be potentially protective against anemia. Conclusions Anemia in pregnancy remained persistently high and prevalent among 57% of pregnant women in Tanzania. Efforts to address anemia are crucial and need to be focused in regions with increasing burden of anemia among pregnant women. It is imperative to address important risk factors such as food insecurity, strengthening universal health coverage, empowering women of reproductive age with education and especially nutritional knowledge and advocating for early antenatal booking, attendance, and facility delivery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Mane Hélène Faye ◽  
Nicole Idohou-Dossou ◽  
Abdou Badiane ◽  
Anta Agne-Djigo ◽  
Papa Mamadou DD Sylla ◽  
...  

Background: Like many developing countries, Senegal does not have data on the extent of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) that is representative of its population. The present survey was conducted to fill this gap and to identify factors associated with VAD, prior to the introduction of a large-scale vitamin A oil fortification program. Procedures: A nationwide representative cross-sectional survey involving 1887 children 12 to 59 months old and 1316 women of reproductive age (WRA) was conducted. Blood samples were collected and plasma concentrations of retinol (PR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and alpha-1-acidglycoprotein were measured. PR was adjusted for subclinical inflammation using the BRINDA regression methodology. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with VAD. Findings: The adjusted prevalence of VAD (PR ≤ 0.7 μmol/L) in children was 15.3% and differed by age group, area of residence, and socioeconomic status and half of them had subclinical inflammation. Among WRA, VAD was low (2.3%) and 18.1% had vitamin A insufficiency (VAI). Pregnant women were more affected by VAI (28.4%) and Dakar had lower figures compared with other cities and rural strata. Prevalence of VAI decreased with increasing wealth quintile. In logistic regression, abnormal CRP, poverty, scarce consumption of poultry, oysters, melon, red palm oil, palm kernel oil, Saba senegalensis fruit pulp (Maad) and cowpea, frequent consumption of leeks and consumption of Leptadenia hastata leaves (Mbuum tiakhat), were associated with VAD in children. For women, lower socioeconomic status, fair or poor health status and anemia were negatively associated with VAI. Conclusions: In Senegal, VAD is a moderate public health problem in children and slight among women. Particular attention should be paid to children older than 23 months, pregnant women, rural populations, and poorest households. Nutritional interventions should be implemented alongside morbidity prevention and control. Keywords: vitamin A deficiency, children 12-59 months, women of reproductive age, Senegal.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. e0236449
Author(s):  
Dev Ram Sunuwar ◽  
Devendra Raj Singh ◽  
Narendra Kumar Chaudhary ◽  
Pranil Man Singh Pradhan ◽  
Pushpa Rai ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 425-437
Author(s):  
Faustin Habyarimana ◽  
Temesgen Zewotir ◽  
Shaun Ramroop

Background:Anemia is an important public health problem affecting all age groups of the population. The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with anemia among women of childbearing age in Rwanda and map their spatial variation.Methods:The 2014/15 Rwanda Demographic and Health survey data was used and the structured logistic regression model was fitted to the data, where fixed effects were modeled parametrically, non-linear effects were modeled non-parametrically using second order random walk priors and spatial effects were modeled using Markov Random field priors.Results:The prevalence of anemia among non-pregnant women of reproductive age was 18.9%. Women from the households which use water from the unprotected well had a higher risk of having anemia than a woman from the household where they use water piped into dwelling or yard. The risk of anemia was higher among underweight women and women living in households without toilet facilities. The anemia was less pronounced among the women using contraception, literate women, women from the households which use a bed net and living in rich households.Conclusion:The findings from this study highlighted the districts with the highest number of anemic women and this can help the policymakers and other public health institutions to design a specific programme targeting these districts in order to improve the health status and living conditions of these women. The findings also suggest an improvement of toilet facilities, bed net use and source of drinking water in affected households.


2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (15) ◽  
pp. 2759-2769
Author(s):  
Djibril M Ba ◽  
Paddy Ssentongo ◽  
Duanping Liao ◽  
Ping Du ◽  
Kristen H Kjerulff

AbstractObjective:To identify countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) that have not yet achieved at least 90 % universal salt iodization and factors associated with the consumption of non-iodized salt among women of reproductive age.Design:A cross-sectional study using data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). The presence of iodine in household salt (iodized or non-iodized), which was tested during the survey process, was the study outcome. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine independent factors associated with the consumption of non-iodized salt among women of reproductive age.Setting:There were eleven countries in SSA that participated in the DHS since 2015 and measured the presence of iodine in household salt.Participants:Women (n 108 318) aged 15–49 years.Results:Countries with the highest rate of non-iodized salt were Senegal (29·5 %) followed by Tanzania (21·3 %), Ethiopia (14·0 %), Malawi (11·6 %) and Angola (10·8 %). The rate of non-iodized salt was less than 1 % in Rwanda (0·3 %), Uganda (0·5 %) and Burundi (0·8 %). Stepwise multivariable logistic regression showed that women were more likely to be using non-iodized salt (adjusted OR; 95 % CI) if they were poor (1·62; 1·48, 1·78), pregnant (1·16; 1·04, 1·29), aged 15–24 years (v. older: 1·14; 1·04, 1·24) and were not literate (1·14; 1·06, 1·23).Conclusions:The use of non-iodized salt varies among SSA countries. The higher level of use of non-iodized salt among poor, young women and pregnant women is particularly concerning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Narayan Tripathi ◽  
Arun Kumar Koirala ◽  
Rojana Dhakal

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are associated with numerous comorbidities so they are of great public health concern. In Nepal, the proportion of overweight and obese women of reproductive age has been gradually increasing which marks obesity as a serious public health challenge. The study aimed to assess the factors associated with overweight and obesity among reproductive aged women residing in Pokhara metropolitan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 278 married women of reproductive age at Pokhara metropolitan, Kaski district, Nepal using probability proportional to size sampling method. Face to face interview was conducted among respondents through pretested questionnaire. Similarly, height and weight were also measured. Based on anthropometric measurements, Body Mass Index was computed and defined according to the World Health Organization criteria. The association between overweight /obesity and the explanatory variables were assessed in bivariate analysis using the Chi-square test and the association was further explored by using multivariate logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 49.6%; with 33.7% of overweight and 15.9 % of obesity. Factors associated with overweight/obesity were age (AOR= 13.85, 95% CI: 5.77-40.80), business as occupation (AOR=7.39, 95%CI: 2.25-14.17), fast food consumption of three or more times a week (AOR=3.42, 95%CI: 1.01-11.63), energy intake above the RDA (AOR=5.45; 95%CI: 2.19-13.55), low or moderate physical activity level (AOR=2.84; 95%CI: 1.18-6.83) and multiparity (AOR=17.80; 95%CI: 4.04-89.06). Conclusions: The study provides evidence that the prevalence of overweight, obesity is remarkably high in married women of reproductive age in Pokhara metropolitan. The study concluded older age, business as occupation, consumption of fast foods for three or more times per week, low or moderate physical activity level, energy intake above the RDA and multiparty had higher odds of being overweight/obesity. On the other hand fruits and vegetables consumption were found to be protective against overweight/obesity.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette Iman'ishimwe Mukamana ◽  
Pamela Machakanja ◽  
Nicholas Kofi Adjei

Abstract Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread problem affecting all cultures and socioeconomic groups. This study explored the trends in prevalence and risk factors associated with IPV among Zimbabwean women of reproductive age (15-49 years) from 2005-2015. Methods: Data from the 2005/2006, 2010/2011 and 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) on 13,409 women (survey year: 2005/2006; n=4,081), (survey year: 2010/2011; n=4,411) and (survey year: 2015; n=4,917) were analyzed. Multiple logistic regressions and hierarchical modelling techniques were applied to examine the associations between demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, media exposure and IPV against women. We further estimated IPV prevalence by type (physical, sexual and emotional) over time. Results: The prevalence of IPV decreased from 45.2% in 2005 to 40.9% in 2010, and then increased to 43.1% in 2015. Some of the risk factors associated with IPV were younger age, low economic status, cohabitation and rural residence. Educational attainment of women was however not significantly associated with IPV. Conclusions: The findings indicate that women of reproductive age are at high and increasing risk of physical and emotional violence. There is thus an urgent need for an integrated policy approach to address the rise of IPV related physical and emotional violence against women in Zimbabwe. Keywords: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV); Trends; Risk factors; Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS); Zimbabwe


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiola V. Moshi ◽  
Maximilian Tungaraza

Abstract Background Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy (HDP) is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity amongst pregnant women in the world. Blood pressure check-ups during pregnancy are one of the strategies used to identify hypertensive disorders, hence timely management. Little is known about the factors associated with blood pressure check-ups in Tanzania. Method The study used data from 2015—16 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicators Survey (2015—16 TDHS—MIS). A total of 6924 women of active reproductive age from 15 to 49 were included in the analysis. Both univariate and multiple regression analyses were used to determine the association between early antenatal booking and maternal services utilization. Results The prevalence of blood pressure checkups during pregnancy was 72.17% at 95% confidence interval of 71.1–73.2%. Factors associated with uptake of blood pressure check-ups were; timely antenatal booking, AOR = 1.496, CI = 1.297–1.726, p < 0.001, late booking was a reference population, age group [> 34 years, (AOR = 1.518, CI = 1.149–2.006, p = 0.003)] with < 20 years used as a reference population, wealth index [middle income, (AOR = 1.215, CI = 1.053–1.468, p = 0.008) and rich, (AOR = 2.270, CI = 1.907–2.702, p < 0.001)] reference population being poor; education level [primary education, (AOR = 1.275, CI = 1.107–1.468, p = 0.001); secondary education, (AOR = 2.163, CI = 1.688–2.774, p < 0.001) and higher education, (AOR = 9.929, CI = 1.355–72.76, p = 0.024)] reference population being no formal education; parity [para 2–4, (AOR = 1.190, CI = 1.003–1.412, p = 0.046) with para one used as a reference population and zones [Unguja Island, (AOR = 3.934, CI = 1.568–9.871, p = 0.004), Pemba Island, (AOR = 5.308, CI = 1.808–15.58, p = 0.002)] and Mainland Urban being the reference population. Conclusion The study revealed that rural dwelling pregnant women had higher chance of not getting their BP checked. It was also revealed that maternal age, education level, place of residence, wealth index and timing of ANC services were significantly associated with blood pressure check-ups. The study recommends the need to explore significant factors associated with utilization of available free reproductive health services across all public health facilities. It also recommends the need to address prioritized intensive awareness programs and behavioral change interventions on the significance of BP check-ups among pregnant women of reproductive age.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Djibril Ba ◽  
Paddy Ssentongo ◽  
Guodong Liu ◽  
Ping Du ◽  
Xiang Gao

Abstract Objectives Approximately 2 billion individuals suffer from an insufficient iodine intake, and sub-Saharan Africa is particularly the most affected. We thus conducted a cross-sectional study to assess iodine deficiency status, among women of reproductive age 20–49 years in Tanzania and examine the factors associated with iodine deficiency. Methods The current analysis was based on 3057 women aged 20–49 y who participated the Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys 2015–2016. Iodine status was assessed using urinary iodine concentration (UIC). Iodine deficiency was defined if UIC was less than 100ug/L. A stepwise multivariable logistic regression to identify the factors associated with iodine deficiency. Potential predicators included age, education level, married status, wealth index, having a prenatal doctor and prenatal nurse, currently pregnant, currently breastfeeding, place of residence, employment status, and history of terminated pregnancy. Results The median UIC among pregnant women (median: 129 μg/L; 25th and 75th percentile: 57.8–240), uneducated women (99.0 μg/L; 48.2–201 μg/L), and poor women (92 μg/L; 43.1 -191 μg/L) were below the recommended ranges (≥150 μg/L for pregnant women and ≥100 μg/L for non-pregnant women) by the World Health Organization. Multivariable logistic stepwise regression showed that women were more likely to be iodine deficient if they were pregnant (aOR 1.55 [95% CI 1.11, 2.15], currently breastfeeding (aOR 1.56 [95% CI 1.28, 1.92], poor (aOR 1.75 [95% CI 1.35, 2.26], uneducated (aOR 1.77 [95% CI 1.26, 2.48], and living in the rural area (aOR 1.79 [95% CI 1.37, 2.34]. Unexpectedly, currently employed women also had significantly higher odds of iodine deficient (aOR 1.41 [95% CI 1.10, 1.80], relative to those without employment. Conclusions There is disparity in UIC among of women of reproductive age 20–49 in Tanzania. Poverty and lack of education appeared to be the driving factors for iodine deficiency. High risk of iodine deficient among pregnant and breastfeeding women appeal for action to implement and enforce universal salt iodization among this vulnerable population in Tanzania. Funding Sources There was no external or internal funding to support this study.


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