Prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at Aymiba Health Center, northwest Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION: Anemia is a global public health problem in both developing and developed countries; ~1.62 billion people suffer from anemia, and pregnant women are the most susceptible to it. The main aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of anemia and associated risk factors among pregnant women receiving antenatal care at Aymiba Health Center, northwest Ethiopia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Aymiba Health Center from January to March 2015. Hemoglobin level and intestinal parasitic infections in pregnant women were assessed. Sociodemographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data were entered and analyzed using the SPSS version 20. Odds ratio, p<0.05, and binary logistic regression were used to assess the association of pregnant women’s sociodemographic characteristics with their hemoglobin levels and the prevalence of anemia. RESULTS: The mean with ±2 standard deviation of hemoglobin value was 12±1.3 (95% confidence interval [CI] =11.9–12.5), and the prevalence of anemia from a total of 206 study subjects was 52 (25.2%). Of this anemic group, 50 (24%) were in the second and third trimesters. Anemia was significantly associated with rural residence and intestinal parasitic infections (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =9.17, 95% CI =2.15–40, p<0.001) and (AOR =55.091, 95% CI =6.88–441.19, p<0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: In the present study, the prevalence of anemia was lower than in previous studies conducted in various countries, including Ethiopia. More studies are needed regarding the importance of regular maternal care and health education promotion programs, which have the potential to play a more significant role in health care.