Prevalence of Hemoglobin Anemia among Pregnant Women in the Northeast of Iran

Anemia is one of the major public health problems among pregnant women in the world. It causes low birth weight and maternal mortality during pregnancies. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among pregnant women. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 pregnant women in Shirvan city, Iran in 2015. For sampling, each of the three centers in this city were considered as a single cluster and the number of required participants from each center was selected proportional to the number of pregnant women covered by each center using systematic approach. Data collected from health records of families using a checklist were analyzed by descriptive statistics and appropriate statistical tests including chi- square, Fisher's exact, and McNemar's test. The age mean ± SD of the pregnant women was 29.9 ± 5.3 with a range of 16-40 years. Most of pregnant women were in the age group of 18-35 (84.5%) years, had high school education (65.8%), and were housewives (87.8%). The prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in the first and third trimester were 4.75% (CI95%: 2.66%-6.84%) and 16% (CI95%: 12.40%- 19.60%), respectively. Prevalence of anemia increased in the third trimester (p<0.01). Shirvan is one of the areas with a mild prevalence of anemia. However, iron deficiency anemia, as a nutritional disorder can be prevented. Therefore, community-based interventions should be implemented considering the identified associated factors.