Abstract: Background: Anemia affects almost two-thirds of pregnant women in developing countries and contributes to maternal mortality and low birthweight. Although biological risk factors such as dietary deficiency, parasitic infestations, and chronic diseases are well-known risk factors, it is important for the physician to understand the ecological or structural risk factors that could be of regional interest. Hence; the present study was conducted with the aim of assessing the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women admitted for delivery at GGSMC labor room.
Materials & methods: 1800 pregnant women admitted for delivery were interviewed by using predesigned and pretested questionnaire. The diagnosis on anemia was made by shale’s haematin method of hemoglobin method of estimation and type of anemia was confirmed by using the standard peripheral blood smear examination. Anemia was classified according as per the (WHO) World Health Organization grading criteria; Mild = 10 -10.9g/dl, Moderate = 7 – 9.9 g/dl and Severe - < 7g/dl. All the results were recorded in Microsoft excel sheet and were analyzed by SPSS software.
Results: Anemia was present in 48.88 percent (880 subjects) of the subjects. Out of 880 anemic subjects, 338 subjects had mild anemia, 390 anemic subjects had moderate anemia and remaining 152 anemic subjects had severe anemia. While analyzing various risk factors, it was seen that severe anemia was more common in illiterate subjects, laborers and subjects with lower socio-economic status. Also, anemia was more common among subjects who had never taken iron, folic acid supplements, and subjects who were not aware about free iron at hospital.
Conclusion: Anemia continues to be a significant health issue. Even though iron–folic acid supplementation is readily available, it is crucial for primary health care workers to address other risk factors when designing therapeutic interventions for anemia control.
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