“Prevalence and determinants of anaemia among pregnant women attending RHTC and UHTC of a tertiary medical centre of South Bihar: a facility-based cross-sectional analytical study”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/0qpkh333Keywords:
determinants, antenatal care, iron-folic acid, urban health facility, rural health facility, pregnancy, AnaemiaAbstract
Background:
Anaemia during pregnancy remains a major public-health problem in India and is associated with maternal morbidity, poor foetal growth, preterm birth and low birth weight. Despite iron-folic acid supplementation and antenatal screening, rural–urban and socioeconomic disparities persist.
Aim:
To determine the prevalence of anaemia and identify its sociodemographic, nutritional and obstetric determinants among pregnant women attending rural and urban health facilities.
Methods:
A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 pregnant women, comprising 200 attending a rural and 200 an urban health facility of Mahabodhi Medical College, Gayaji, Bihar. Sociodemographic, obstetric, dietary, iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation, and antenatal-care information were collected using a pretested questionnaire. Haemoglobin was estimated using the Acid-Haematin method. Anaemia was classified according to WHO criteria. Associations were assessed using the chi-square test, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results:
Anaemia was present in 232/400 (58.0%) women. Prevalence was higher among rural than urban women (64.0% vs. 52.0%; χ²=5.43, p=0.020). Anaemia was significantly associated with lower educational attainment (68.2% vs. 45.6%; p<0.001), inadequate IFA intake (81.0% vs. 35.0%; p<0.001), poor dietary diversity (83.5% vs. 32.5%; p<0.001), and trimester (40.0%, 61.5% and 60.0% in the first, second and third trimesters, respectively; p=0.021). Mild anaemia was most common (28.0%), followed by moderate (26.0%) and severe anaemia (4.0%).
Conclusion:
Anaemia remains highly prevalent, particularly among rural pregnant women. Lower education, inadequate IFA intake, poor dietary diversity, and later gestation were significantly associated with anaemia.
Recommendation:
Strengthen early ANC registration, IFA adherence monitoring, dietary counselling, and targeted anaemia-prevention interventions in rural populations.
References
haemoglobin cutoffs to define anaemia in individuals and populations. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024.
2. World Health Organization. Anaemia. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2024.
3. Kuppusamy P, Prusty RK, Khan SA. Assessing the prevalence and predictors of anemia among pregnant women in India: findings from the India National Family Health Survey 2019-2021. Curr Med Res Opin. 2024;40(1):51-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2023.2276851
4. Kumar D, Kumar A, Maiti S, Lhungdim H. Spatial heterogeneity and socioeconomic inequalities in anaemia among Indian women. Anemia. 2026;2026:1265576. https://doi.org/10.1155/anem/1265576
5. Puri DC, Rasal MM, Giri PA. A cross-sectional study to assess anemia & its determinants among pregnant women in a rural area of Maharashtra. Indian J Community Health. 2024;36(1):7-15. https://doi.org/10.47203/IJCH.2024.v36i01.019
6. Agarwal A, Bakshi H, Kadri AM, Joshi KJ, Vala A, Dholariya S, et al. Assessing anemia burden and multifactorial contributors among pregnant women in Gujarat: a cross-sectional study integrating biochemical, nutritional, and geographic disparities. Front Glob Womens Health. 2025;6:1717148-54. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1717148
7. Gardner WM, Razo C, McHugh TA, et al. Prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends in anaemia burden by severity and cause, 1990-2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Haematol. 2023;10(9):e713-e734.
8. Ghosh K, Chakraborty AS, Haloi B, Zakir S. Spatial clustering of malnutrition and anemia among reproductive women and its associated risk factors in India: evidence from National Family Health Survey-5. Food Nutr Bull. 2024;45(1):3-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/03795721241234086
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Suman Kumar Bharti, Dr. Akhilesh Kumar Dubey, Dr. (Prof) Sazid Hussain
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
