Background

Maternal anaemia is a common problem in pregnancy, particularly in developing countries. The study was aimed at determining the factors associated with anaemia among a group of pregnant mothers who attended an antenatal clinic in Dhaka city.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 224 pregnant women, who visited the antenatal clinic of the Marie Stops, Dhaka. Demographic data and information on maternal age, gestational age, educational and income level, and socioeconomic status were collected from all the subjects. Haemoglobin status was measured to assess their anaemia. A qualified technician drew venous blood samples from them. The reference values of haemoglobin were categorized according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria as follows: normal (11 g/dL or higher), mild (10–10.9 g/dL), and moderate (7–9.9 g/dL). Mild and moderate levels of haemoglobin were defined as anaemic (haemoglobin levels of <11 g/dL). The SPSS software (Windows version 16.0. SPSS Inc, Chicago, USA) was used for analyzing data.

Results

The mean (±SD) age of the subjects was 26.4 ± 2.81 years. Sixty-three percent of the subjects had normal level of haemoglobin, and 37 % were anaemic 26 % mild and 11 % moderate. Maternal anaemia was significantly associated with age (p = 0.036), education (p = 0.002), income (p = 0.001), living area (p = 0.031). Results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that maternal anaemia was also significantly associated with age (p = 0.006), educational status (primary to 8th grade, p = 0.004; secondary and above, p = 0.002), living area (0.022), and income (0.021).

Discussion

A significant proportion of pregnant women were found anaemic. Most data showed education has animpact on awareness to use of health services and iron supplementation should be encouraged to improve the haemoglobin levels in pregnancy.

Conclusions

The results indicate that anaemia is alarmingly high among pregnant women in Dhaka city. Maternal anaemia is associated with age, education level, income level, and living area. The results suggest that pregnant women and members of their families should be urgently educated to understand the importance of antenatal care.