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Article Type

Article

Abstract

Introduction: Anemia in pregnancy is one of the most common public health problems in developing country,it is commonly associated with poor pregnancy outcome and can result in complications that threaten the life of both mother and fetus. The main risk factors associated with anemia during pregnancy are low body storage of iron ,low intake of iron, poor absorption of iron from diet, chronic infections, and parasitic diseases . Objective: To determine the prevalence of anemia and associated risk factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care units in Baghdad Al Karkh Heath Directorate, Baghdad/Iraq . Materials and Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study, included 400 pregnant women attended antenatal care clinic at 12 primary health care centers (3 from each of the 4 health care districts that were selected according to geographical area) in Baghdad Al-Karkh Heath Directorate. the study was conducted from February -April 2019. Data were collected through a questionnaire especially designed by the researchers which included socio-demographic factors, obstetric history ,nutritional habits and ferro- foliate supplement intake, measuring of hemoglobin level was done using hemoglobin meter then data entry and analysis were done using statistical program Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version : 16. Results: prevalence of anemia was 53%, mostly (79%) of moderate type. Anemia was significantly associated with history of less than two years inter pregnancy interval and multiparty it was also associated with irregular intake of iron-foliate supplement and unhealthy food habit . Conclusion: high prevalence of anemia in this study and its association with factors related to foodhabit, family planning and iron-foliate supplement intake is highly recommended that more effective educating programs about the importance of balanced diet and family planning have to be started early in reproductive life of women and raise awareness about the importance of regular intake of iron-foliate supplement during pregnancy.

Keywords

Anemia, Risk factors, Pregnant, Health care

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