Association between iron supplementation and anaemia in pregnant women in Ghana

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the study was to assess the association between iron intake and the incidence of anaemia during pregnancy as well as estimate the prevalence and magnitude of anaemia in pregnancy. Design/methodology/approach A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 383 postnatal women at four health-care facilities. Data on iron supplementation and haemoglobin (Hb) levels during pregnancy was collected from the respondents. Spearman, Pearson Chi-square tests of independence were used to measure associations between variables, a log-linear model was adopted to ascertain the association and level of interaction among variables. All p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Findings Results show 54.3% prevalence of anaemia at registration and 33.6% at 36 weeks of pregnancy, p < 0.001. Iron supplement intake during pregnancy was 96.3%. The log-linear analysis model retained the Parity × Marital Status interaction across the levels of anaemia (p < 0.001). Compared to married pregnant women, single pregnant women were almost equally likely to be anaemic (OR = 1.06). Research limitations/implications One of the limitations of retrospective studies is recall bias; however, this was likely to be minimal, as participants were approached within 8 days after delivery. Despite this, this study still holds promise as it reports a rather high prevalence of anaemia at 36 weeks even with the high intake of iron. Originality/value Anaemia in pregnancy is a major public health issue because of the consequential outcomes on maternal and child health. The study identified a high prevalence of anaemia at registration; which could be the basis for intensifying pre-natal iron supplementation before pregnancy.

Factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy: A retrospective cross-sectional study in the Bolgatanga Municipality, northern Ghana

“…registration, which were found to be statistically significantly associated with AIP at various stages of hemoglobin assessment. Without adjustment for haemodilution, the observed AIP prevalence reported at ANC registration, was lower compared to similar studies both in Ghana [35,48,49] and in neighboring countries [54][55][56]. Also, the AIP prevalence at 36 weeks in this study varied compared to some studies in the northern and middle belts of Ghana [57,58].…”

“…One study assessing AIP at booking and 36 weeks also reported a worsening situation [63]. On the contrary, a similar study in Ghana and two other studies elsewhere reported reductions in prevalence between registration and 36 weeks [45,46,49]. The study shows AIP is still of great concern, especially as it is one of the leading cause of maternal mortality [6,64].…”

“…We could not identify studies in Ghana assessing haemoglobin levels and anaemia status among pregnant women at all the three WHO recommended points for haemoglobin check during ANC and their determinants in the course of gestation. Some studies assessed AIP at one point of gestation [ 35 , 48 ] and others at two points [ 49 , 50 ], but no study assessed the phenomenon at all the three recommended haemoglobin check points during ANC. These three points are used for decision making, hence, knowledge on anaemia prevalence and its determinants at the three stages of pregnancy would be useful in the care process.…”