Association Between Anaemia And Low Birth Weight Among HIV -Infected Pregnant Women Aged 15 – 49 Years In Zimbabwe : A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract Background In Zimbabwe, almost 25% of infants are born with low birth weight (LBW). LBW accounts for over half of the neonatal deaths in the country. Anaemia during pregnancy has been inconsistently associated with an increased risk of LBW. However, very little data is available from countries where HIV prevalence is high, wherein HIV is also known to be a common risk factor to LBW. This study examined the relationship between maternal anaemia and LBW among HIV-infected pregnant women in Zimbabwe. Methods This was a secondary data analysis of the 2015 Zimbabwe Demography and Health Survey. Data for 809 HIV positive women aged 15-49 years and their infants from all live births preceding the survey by 5 years were included in the study. Modified-Poisson regression methods were used to determine the association between anaemia and LBW while adjusting for other risk factors. Results The prevalence of maternal anaemia and LBW among the HIV-infected pregnant women was 42.3% (n=342) and 16.3% (n =132) respectively. The prevalence of LBW was14.6% (n=50) and 17.6% (n=82) among anaemic and non-anaemic HIV positive women respectively (p=0.264). HIV infected pregnant women with anaemia had a 25% less chance of giving birth to infants with LBW compared to HIV infected mothers without anaemia, however, the association was not statistically significant (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.53- 1.05). Conclusions The findings demonstrate a high prevalence of anaemia and LBW among HIV infected pregnant women. Nonetheless, maternal anaemia was not associated with LBW. There is a need for adapted monitoring of HIV-positive pregnant women and affordable improved nutrition during antenatal care to reduce the risk of LBW infants and maternal anaemia levels. Further research examining the relationship between maternal anaemia and LBW among HIV positive pregnant women whilst factoring in the role of ART and the severity of anaemia is required.