Contributory Factors to Anaemia in Pregnancy in Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: About a third of the world population is affected by anaemia, with most of this burden on developing countries, Nigeria inclusive. Anaemia, though preventable, is a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality. Factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy include poor nutrition, socio-cultural behaviours and certain infections. Methods: We studied the habits, dietary diversity and pattern of infections that may explain occurrence of anaemia in 386 pregnant women (18-45years old) attending antenatal care at the Stella Obasanjo Women and Children Hospital (SOWCH) and the Central Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria between July-December, 2019. Data obtained was analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 and level of significance (p) set at ≤0.05. Results: The mean age (±SD) of the study population was 30±4years, 20 (5.2%) women had positive MP, 11 (2.8%) were HIV positive, 3 (0.8%) were HBsAg positive while none was found with a reactive anti-HCV. The mean Hb (±SD) was 10.9± 1.1g/dl. The prevalence of anaemia was 45.6% with only mild and moderate forms recorded. Factors associated with anaemia were lack of ITN use (p= 0.03), alcohol consumption during pregnancy (p= 0.00) and HIV infection (p=0.01). There was a significant correlation between Hb and gestational age (p=0.00) as well as duration of last child birth (p= 0.02). The mean WDDS (±SD) was 9±1, with 99.0% participants having a high WDDS. There was no association between WDDS and occurrence of anaemia. Conclusion: the high burden of anaemia persists. Health promotion strategies to limit factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy are advocated. The role of dietary diversity on anemia remains inconclusive.