Prevalence and determinants of anaemia in women of reproductive age in Sudan: analysis of a cross-sectional household survey

• Published in: BMC public health 2020-07, Vol.20 (1), p.1125-1125, Article 1125
• Main Authors: Elmardi, Khalid Abdelmutalab, Adam, Ishag, Malik, Elfatih Mohammed, Abdelrahim, Tarig Abdalla, Elhag, Mousab Siddig, Ibrahim, Abdalla Ahmed, Babiker, Mariam Adam, Elhassan, Asma Hashim, Kafy, Hmooda Toto, Elshafie, Azza Tageldin, Nawai, Lubna Mohammed, Abdin, Mujahid Sheikhedin, Kremers, Stef
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Anaemia; Anemia; Anemia - epidemiology; Anemia - etiology; Birth weight; Camps; Cluster Analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographic aspects; Diagnosis; Diagnostic systems; Diagnostic tests; Disease transmission; Displaced persons; Family Characteristics; Female; Forecasts and trends; Haemoglobin; Health facilities; Hemoglobin; Hemoglobins - analysis; Households; Humans; Infections; Logistic Models; Logistic regression; Low-birth-weight; Malaria; Malaria - epidemiology; Parasites; Population; Population studies; Populations; Poverty - statistics & numerical data; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications - epidemiology; Pregnancy Complications - etiology; Pregnant women; Prevalence; Principal components analysis; Public health; Refugees; Refugees - statistics & numerical data; Regression analysis; Regression models; Risk Factors; Rural areas; Rural Population - statistics & numerical data; Rural populations; Sampling designs; Social Determinants of Health - statistics & numerical data; Studies; Sudan - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Urban areas; Urban Population - statistics & numerical data; Urban populations; Variables; Vector-borne diseases; Women; Women's health; Women's Health - statistics & numerical data; Womens health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09252-w

Anaemia is a global health problem and women in reproductive age (WRA) are amongst the most affected population. Its consequences include low birth weight and maternal mortality. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anaemia and to identify its determinants in Sudanese women in reproductive age. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Sudan in 2016. A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling design was executed with consideration of rural population, urban population, and internally displaced persons/refugees camps residents. All women in reproductive age (15-49 years), classified by pregnancy status, in the targeted households were surveyed and personal characteristic data were collected. Their haemoglobin level and malaria infection (using rapid diagnostic test, RDT) were assessed. The World Health Organization (WHO) haemoglobin level cut-off for defining anaemia and severe anaemia in pregnant and non-pregnant women was used. Logistic regression analyses were performed. A total of 4271 women (WRA) of which 421 (9.9%) pregnant women (PW) were included in the study. The overall anaemia prevalence in WRA was 35.6%. It was 36.0 and 35.5% in PW and non-pregnant women (NPW), respectively. The average haemoglobin level was found to be 113.9 g/L (SD 16.3) and 123.2 g/L (SD 15.7) for PW and NPW respectively. Severe anaemia prevalence was 1.2% in each group. In the logistic regression model, anaemia was associated with malaria infection in PW (aOR 4.100, 95%CI 1.523-11.039, p = 0.003), NPW (aOR 2.776, 95%CI 1.889-4.080, p