Exploring the Prevalence and Factors Associated with Anaemia in Pregnancy at Tema General Hospital in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Anaemia during pregnancy is one of the most common indirect obstetric causes of maternal mortality in low-income countries. It is responsible for poor maternal and fetal outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence and factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy at the antenatal care unit at Tema General Hospital in the Greater Accra Region. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2019, with 422 pregnant women between the ages 15-49 years, who attended antenatal care (ANC) at the Tema General Hospital. A structured questionnaire was used to ascertain data on sociodemographic and economic, obstetric characteristics, health conditions, consumption of ironcontaining foods, knowledge on anaemia, first and current haemoglobin recording of all participants. Data were analysed using STATA version 14. Results: Out of 422 pregnant women who were interviewed, 171(41%) were found to be anaemic (Hb:<11 g/dl) at the period of the interview; with a mean of 11.05g/dl. Two hundred and fifty one (59.5%) (Hb: ≥ 11g/dl) had no anaemia, ninety (21%) were mildly anaemic (Hb: 9.0—10.9g/dl), seventy eight (18.5%) were moderately anaemic (Hb: 7.0 – 8.9g/dl) and three (1%) (Hb < 7g/dl) were severely anaemic. Bivariate analysis showed that age, marital status, occupation, family income and source of information from media were statistically associated with the condition. After adjustment it revealed age, source of information from either a health worker or from the media and interpregnancy interval were all significant predictive indicators Conclusion: Anaemia in pregnancy stands to be a severe public health problem at Tema General Hospital. Female reproductive health education should be encouraged at all levels and information from health workers to pregnant women should be individualized and targeted towards available resources.