The Prevalence of Nutritional Anaemia in Brazilian Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Despite the global tendency of maternal anaemia to decline, the persistence of anaemia in Brazil is an important health problem given its vulnerability to deficiencies and the significant increase in nutritional requirements during pregnancy. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anaemia in Brazilian pregnant women through a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. The systematic review was carried out according to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses PRISMA checklist recommendations and using the following electronic databases: Medline, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Lilacs, Scielo, Google Scholar, and CAPES Catalog of Theses and Dissertations. Studies that presented a prevalence of anaemia data in Brazilian pregnant women, considering all gestational trimesters, were included. The total sample included 12,792 pregnant women covering all gestational trimesters. The pooled prevalence of anaemia in Brazilian pregnant women was 23% (95% CI: 20–27), with the highest prevalence in the Northeast Region at 26% (95% CI 23–29), while the lowest prevalence was observed in the North Region with 17% (95% CI 14–20). Among the subgroups, no statistical difference was observed. The prevalence of anaemia status in Brazil is still classified as a moderate public health problem according to the World Health Organization maternal anaemia classification.