Nutritional Related Factors of Anemia among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care in Sekota Tefera Hailu Memorial Hospital, North West, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background. Anemia in pregnancy is now a prevalent health issue among poor economies, with terrible impacts for the woman and her unborn child. Poor maternal nutrition contributes significantly to the risk of anemia and negative pregnancy results. Therefore, the aim of the study is to assess nutritional factors that relate to anemia among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Sekota Hospital in North West Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August of 2021 among 367 pregnant women attending antenatal care at Sekota Hospital in North West Ethiopia. A systematic random sampling technique was utilized for choosing study subjects. A semi-structured questionnaire was in use to collect socio-demographic, obstetric, and dietary information. The nutritional status of pregnant women was assessed using a MUAC measuring tape, and hemoglobin levels were determined using the hematocrit centrifugation technique. The collected data was put into and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Binary and multiple regressions were used to assess the relative significance of variables, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered to declare statistical significance. Results. Nutritional-related predictors like meal frequency (AOR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.59), frequency of meat consumption (AOR = 4.05, 95% CI: 2.46, 33.65), frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption (AOR = 2.88, 95% CI: 2.08, 26.81), dietary diversity score (AOR = 12.81, 95% CI: 3.93, 41.75), food aversion (AOR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.47), and undernutrition (AOR = 0.22, 95%CI: 0.07, 0.64) were consistently related to anemia. Conclusion. This study revealed six nutritionally related factors such as meal frequency, dietary diversity score, food aversion, frequency of meat consumption, frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as undernutrition, which are significantly associated with anemia among pregnant women in the study area. Therefore, healthcare providers, policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders should give special focus to maternal nutrition to address those factors. Programs should be developed and implemented to improve diet diversification and proper nutrition during pregnancy to overcome the anemia problem.