Do Women in Rural South-West Nigeria Become Pregnant with Sub-optimal Haemoglobin Concentrations?

Background: Anaemia is a major public health concern worldwide, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria. In a previous study on determinants of prenatal anaemia, we found out that the majority of our respondents had dietary iron intake below the recommended value of 27mg∕day and all of them belonged to low socio-economic class. We opined that many of our respondents could have become pregnant with sub-optimal haemoglobin concentrations.

Aim: This study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of anaemia and the socio-economic determinants of anaemia in non-pregnant women of reproductive age in our community.

Materials and Methods: The study which was descriptive and cross-sectional, involved two hundred consenting non-pregnant women of reproductive age in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic information and 24-hr dietary recall data which was used to determine the dietary diversity score (DDS) and daily dietary iron intake (DDI). Using a finger prick, the haemoglobin (Hb) concentration of each respondent was determined with a Haemoglobinometer DG-300HB. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 32.04±8.99 years while the age range was 18-43years. The mean and range of Hb concentrations were 11.77±1.02 g∕dL and 8-16.67 g∕dL respectively. The prevalence of anaemia obtained from this study was 54% (mean 11.77 SD1.02). The prevalence of anaemia was highest amongst respondents who were farmers. There was a statistically significant association between Hb concentration and body mass index (BMI) p=0.009. Of the 200 respondents, 193 (96.5%) had inadequate dietary iron intake (<18mg/day). There was statistically significant association between Hb groupings and daily dietary iron (DDI) intake. P=0.003. With a mean of 2.96±0.95 food groups and range of 1.0-5.0 food groups, 95 % of respondents had low DDS (< 5 food groups). Hb concentration was also significantly associated with DDS as only 1(20%) of 5 respondents that had adequate DDS had Hb concentration below cut-off value.

Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia in non-pregnant women of reproductive age was high in the community studied making it possible for majority of them to enter pregnancy with sub-optimal Hb concentration. The prevalence was highest amongst respondents who were farmers. The majority of the respondents had inadequate DDS and daily DDI.