A study of the prevalence of anemia and associated sociodemographic factors in pregnant women in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands

BACKGROUND: Anemia in pregnant women, a significant cause of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, has not been adequately studied in the population of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In this regard, the study was conducted to document the prevalence and severity of anemia and its associated sociodemographic factors in pregnant women in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was carried out at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at G. B. Pant hospital over a period of 6 months. WHO guidelines were used to define and classify anemia as mild, moderate, or severe. A total of 786 pregnant women of age 12–40 years were included in the study. Data were collected by means of interviewer-administered questionnaire and complete blood count of venous blood. IBM SPSS version 21 was used for statistical analysis. Frequency tables and cross-tables were constructed. Corr elations were determined using Kendall's Tau-b, Pearson's r, and Spearman's rho coefficients. RESULTS: Hemoglobin levels of the participants ranged from 4.4 to 15.0 g/dl. Anemia was observed in 50.9% of the sample. Prevalence and severity of anemia decreased with increasing educational levels of both husband and wife and increasing gestational age, and increased with increasing gravidity and parity. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness and education helped reduce the prevalence of anemia. Education of husband was seen to have a greater effect than education of wife. Wide coverage, systematic intervention, and disbursement of folic acid and iron supplements to pregnant women by subcenters and primary health centers prior to their visit to G. B. Pant Hospital were also effective.