Factors Associated With Anaemia among Pregnant Women: A Case Study of Mandera County Referral Hospital

Abstract

Anaemia is the most common medical related disorder during pregnancy, and has become a major health related problem in a large number of developing nations, mainly where deficiency in nutrition, worm infestation and malaria are common. Both pregnant and non-pregnant women are affected by this disorder. Even so, most women lack adequate knowledge regarding causes of anaemia in pregnancy as the most commonly cited cause is inadequate iron. This study sought to determine factors associated with anaemia among pregnant women in Mandera referral Hospital. The study adopted a descriptive cross sectional research design. The study targeted a population constituting of pregnant women aged 15-49 years in Mandera Referral Hospital. At the time of the study, the hospital had an estimated number of 3651 pregnant women, and these formed the target population for the study. The study adopted simple random sampling and convenience sampling techniques. The study used a questionnaire to collect primary data. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS Version 22.0. The analyzed data was then presented in frequencies, cross tabulations and tables, which were accompanied by appropriate descriptions in line with the objectives. The study findings showed that most of the respondent were in their second or other pregnancies as they had been pregnant before [205, 65.7%] compared to those in their first pregnancy [107, 34.3%] (p =0.000). While on the stage of their pregnancies, slightly more than half [161, 51.6%] were in their second trimester compared to 25.3% in their first trimester (p >0.05). Half of the respondents indicated that they had two pregnancies, 80(25.6%) had three pregnancies. That majority (68.9%) of the respondents were not aware of iron (p value <0.05) and further that 44.2% of the respondents knew the sources of iron compared to 55.8 who neither knew or not sure on the sources (P value >0.05). Majority (199, 63.8%) faced challenges to access and availability of iron rich foods. Most women (249, 20.2%) were aware of Vitamin A, further 96.2% were not aware of the various sources of Vitamin A, and these responses were significant at 5%. Majority 46.2% and 42.3% took foods rich in Vitamin A on weekly and daily basis. The study recommends that there should be interventional measures to educate mothers and initiate importance of iron folic acid supplements as this would be vital in prevention of Anaemia during pregnancy.