Anaemia prevalence and its affecting factors in pregnant women of Isparta Province

Abstract

Anaemia contributes to both mother and child mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women in Isparta and to identify the sociocultural-economical impacts of anaemia in the community. We selected 2040 pregnant women, and they were interviewed in a survey. Only 796 pregnants voluntarily provided the blood samples for their haemoglobin measurement. Anaemia prevalence was 42.71% for the pregnants. Furthermore, the haemoglobin level was found to be reduced with increasing age of the pregnant women, number of pregnancies and the gestation age. The studied women were all housewives, with low educational background level and no social security. The results revealed a positive correlation between the haemoglobin level and the frequency of health check-ups, indicating that the more often the women admitted to the health centres the lesser reductions in haemoglobin levels. In short, we suggested that priority should be given to provide education and other social services in on the prevention of pregnancy-induced anaemia.