Abstract
Background
Anemia is a major public health problem with about two billion people being anemic worldwide. Maternal anemia is a leading cause placing pregnant women at higher risk of low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth, perinatal mortality, and neonatal mortality. Forty-five percent of Cambodian women of reproductive age (15-49 year- old) were anemic, including 38% with mild anemia, 7% with moderate anemia and less than 1% of women suffered from severe anemia in 2014. Women in developing countries are at higher risk of anemia which could be either due to micronutrient deficiencies, hemoglobinopathies, infections or other socio-demographic factors. Thus, it is highly essential to explore the factors associated with anemia among women of the reproductive age group in order to design suitable interventions. Thus, the aim of the study is to identify factors associated with anemia among pregnant women aged 15-49 years old in Cambodia.
Methods
Secondary data from the Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS) 2014 was used in this study. Data analysis was done by using STATA V14.2 (Stata Corp 2015, College Station, TX). Descriptive analysis, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to describe socio-demographics, clinical characteristic and to identify factors associated with anemia among pregnant womem aged 15-49 years old.
Results
A total of 615 pregnant women were eligible for the study. Mean age of respondents was 25.6 years old. Overall, the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was 53.2%. Women with the lowest household wealth quintile had two times more likely of developing anemia (AOR 2.01, 95% CI:1.09-3.52, P=0.023) compared to women from households with the rich wealth quintile after controlling other factors. Women with no education were almost 2 times more likely of developing anemia (AOR 1.82, 95% CI:1.10-3.58, P=0.081) compared to those attending secondary and higher after controlling other factors. Maternal age, occupation and water source were not statistically significant factors of developing anemia after controlling for other covariates in the model.
Conclusion
The prevalence of anemia was high among pregnant women in Cambodia. Lowest household wealth and no education were the main factors associated with anemia during pregnancy. Public health interventions and policies to alleviate anemia should be prioritized and shaped to address those factors.