Background:Anemia is one of the most common nutritional deficiency disorders affecting the pregnant women in the developing countries. Anemia during pregnancy is commonly associated with poor pregnancy outcome and can result in complications that threaten the life of both mother and fetus.Objective:The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women and to determine its association with maternal and fetal outcomes.Settings and Design:This study design was a prospective, observational, community-based study.Subjects and Methods:Four hundred and forty-six pregnant women were included in the study from three primary health centers in Kolar district by multistage sampling technique and were followed up till 1 week after delivery.Statistical Analysis:The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22; correlation coefficient, Chi-square test, and logistic regression were used.Results:There was a significant overall improvement in the hemoglobin levels of pregnant during the follow-up (10.3–10.72 gm%). About 35.6% of the women had maternal or fetal morbidity. Anemia was one of the main pregnancy-related complications (62.3%), other complications include difficult labor (3%), postpartum hemorrhage, and preeclampsia 1.6% each abortions/stillbirths (3.5%). The fetal complications include low birth weight (25.5%) followed by premature delivery (0.2%) and birth asphyxia (0.5%).Conclusions:A high prevalence of anemia in pregnant women apparently increases the maternal and fetal risks. To improve maternal and fetal outcome, it is recommended that the primary health care has to be strengthened, prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of anemia in pregnancy to be given priority.

Background: Anemia is the most common hematological disorder during pregnancy. According to the reports of World Health Organization reports, from 35% to 75% (56% on average) of the pregnant women in developing countries are anemic. Prevalence of anemia in South Asian countries is among the highest in the world. India has the highest prevalence of anemia (87%). Objective: To determine the prevalence of anemia and factors influencing its causation among pregnant women. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 446 pregnant women from July 2013 to June 2014 in the rural population of Kolar district, Karnataka, India. The study participants were selected by using multistage sampling method. The hemoglobin estimation was done by using HemoCue method, and data were collected in a pretested questionnaire. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 22. The χ 2-test and correlation coefficient was used to test the degree of significance. Result: A high prevalence (64%) of anemia was observed among pregnant women. The mean hemoglobin level was found to be 10.3 ± 1.53 g%, ranging from 5 to 15 g%. Anemia was predominantly observed among below poverty line families (59.4%) compared with above poverty line families (5.4%). The prevalence of anemia increased with increase in gestational age and gravida and decreased with increase in birth interval. Conclusion: High prevalence of anemia among pregnant women indicates anemia to be a major public health problem in the rural community. Factors such as socioeconomic status, birth interval, and gravida contribute to this high prevalence.

Background: Evaluation of mass drug administration (MDA) is done internally by the health authorities and externally by independent agencies. This paper reports the findings of evaluation of MDA conducted independently for Government of India in Yadgir district of Karnataka state in February 2011 by the authors. Objective: To assess the Coverage & Compliance rates of MDA against lymphatic filariasis and to study the factors influencing non-coverage and non-compliance in Yadgir district. Materials and Methods: A Community based cross-sectional study was conducted in three randomly selected villages and one urban ward. The data was collected in a pre-designed semistructured proforma from 200 households. Pregnant women, children <2 years and severely ill were excluded from the study. Results: 1026 eligible population were studied and 51.07% of them were males. The Diethylcarbamazine citrate plus Albendazole coverage rate was 97.36% and the compliance rate was 77.77%. The major reason for non-compliance was due to fear of side effects amounting to 58%. Only 4 persons reported adverse effects after drug consumption. Conclusion: A high level of motivation and commitment from the drug distributors with adequate training is required for ensuring a high coverage and compliance rates.

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