Prevalence of anemia among pregnant women attending ante-natal clinic in a tertiary health-care facility: A study in an area under insurgency in Northeastern Nigeria

Context: Anemia in pregnancy is a very common event in the developing world. Pregnancy is associated with high nutritional demands which may culminate in third-trimester anemia. Most studies conducted on the prevalence of anemia in North Eastern Nigeria were before the onset of the current insecurity. Aims: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of anemia among women in the third trimester of pregnancy attending Antenatal Clinic in the Federal Medical Centre, Nguru, Yobe State, Nigeria. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study involving 200 women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Subjects and Methods: Semi-structured questionnaires were utilized to collate age, parity, and date of last child birth (LCB). Hematocrit levels were determined using an automated hematology analyzer. Hematocrit levels were stratified according to the World Health Organisation's classification as follows: <21.0%-severe, 21.0%–29.9%-moderate, 30.0%–32.9%-mild anemia, and ≧33.0%-not anemic. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Continuous variables were summarized using means and standard deviations. Chi-square and Pearson correlation analyses were conducted to determine relationships. A value of P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age, parity, LCB, and hematocrit of the study participants were 26.35 ± 6.17 years, 3.72 ± 2.75, 2.03 ± 1.62 years, and 32.64 ± 7.06%, respectively. The overall prevalence of anemia (hematocrit <33%) was 46.5% with mild, moderate, and severe anemia present in 40 (20%), 39 (19.5%), and 14 (7.0%), respectively. The Pearson correlation analysis between parity and hematocrit levels was weak, negative, and statistically significant (r = −0.144, P = 0.042). Chi-square analysis revealed a significant relationship between parity and anemia (χ2 = 13.166 (df, 6), P = 0.039). Conclusion: The prevalence of the third-trimester anemia in Northeastern Nigeria is of severe public health significance and is associated with parity.