ANAEMIA IN PREGNANCY;

A STUDY OF PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS IN ANTENATAL CARE ATTENDEES AT ABSH GUJRAT

Abstract

Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is an important public health problem especially in developing countries. It is a major
cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, and also has a significant impact on health of foetus .The causative factors vary in different
communities. Objectives and Methods: The purpose of study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of anaemia among
pregnant women receiving antenatal care at Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital Gujrat. The attending doctor filled a Proforma at the first
antenatal visit and blood sample was also drawn for complete blood counts. Results: Out of 560 women studied,419(74.8%) women
were anaemic .Anaemia was more prevalent in multigravidae (77.6%) than in primigravidae (69.3%).Regarding severity 69.9%
mild,26.7% moderate and 3.3% cases were of severe anaemia respectively. The severity increased with increasing parity. The prevalence
also increased with decreasing birth intervals (p=0.001) and late booking (p=0.002).Anaemia was more common among uneducated
(78.6%) or those educated up to primary (72.7%). Intake of meat/chicken less than 2times/week (p=0.01) and PICA (p=0.005) were
also the risk factors for anaemia development in pregnancy. Conclusions: The prevalence of anaemia in antenatal care attendees of ABSH
is very high. Frequent child birth with lack of birth spacing, late booking, low educational status and poor dietary habits are the major risk
factors that need urgent attention of health care providers.