Prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among pregnant women in Ilala Municipality - Tanzania: Analytical cross-sectional study

Abstract

Anaemia during pregnancy is still 1 of the leading causes of maternal and neonatal mortality in low and middle-income countries. Initiatives to address this need evidence on trends and their relevant factors, as they vary from 1 area to another. This study determined the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among pregnant women in Ilala, Tanzania. This community-based, analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2022 involving 367 randomly selected pregnant women. An interviewer-administered questionnaire and a HemoCue analyzer were used for data collection The data was described using descriptive statistics (frequency distributions, percentages, etc) and inferential statistics (Chi-square tests and logistic regression) were used to explore the associations between the study’s outcome and its explanatory variables, with a significance level of P < .05. The mean age of participants was 26.2 (standard deviation = 5.2) years, 58.0% had a secondary education level, and 45.2 were prime-para. About half (57.2%) of all participants had low hemoglobin level, among which, 36.2% had moderate anemia. Having a primary education level (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.3, confidence interval [CI] = 1.1–4.7), having an inter-pregnancy interval of <18 months (AOR = 2.6, CI = 1.2–5.5), being in the third trimester (AOR = 2.4, CI = 1.2–4.7), not taking Intermittent Prophylaxis Treatment (AOR = 3.7, CI = 1.3–10), not taking iron supplement and folic acid (AOR = 3.7, CI = 1.3–10), and having a moderate appetite(AOR = 1.6, CI = 1.0–2.6) were predictors of anemia. Nutritionally related factors were not consuming on a daily basis dairy food (AOR = 3.7, CI = 1.4–9.3), meat/fish (AOR = 6.6, CI = 3–14), dark green and other vegetables (AOR = 6.6, CI = 3.1–14), fruits (AOR = 4.2, CI = 1.4–12) and having a lower dietary diversity score (AOR = 84, CI = 37–188). Approximately half of pregnant women in Ilala municipality were anemic with 1 third of them having moderate anemia. The associated factors varied from nutritional, obstetric, and socio-demographic factors. The targeted interventions should focus on health promotion campaign to sensitize the population on the dangers of anemia in pregnancy and preventive measures that must be adhered to.