Dietary iron intakes and odds of iron deficiency anaemia among pregnant women in Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in pregnancy is a prominent risk factor for maternal mortality and poor pregnancy outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, but studies on the significance of dietary iron intake (DII) in IDA in this population are limited. This study assessed the association of DII with odds of IDA among pregnant women attending primary health centres in Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods: sociodemographic information and dietary intakes were assessed among 432 singleton pregnant women (without pre-existing medical complications) using a pre-tested questionnaire and 24 hr-dietary recall, respectively. Dietary iron intake (DII) was derived from the 24 hr-dietary recall using the West African food composition table. Haemoglobin (Hb) levels in blood samples were measured using the haemoglobin-cyanide technique, and IDA was defined using the World Health Organization criteria. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (OR) of IDA and 95% confidence intervals (CI) by energy-adjusted tertiles of DII were estimated using logistic regression with a two-sided P<0.05.

Results: mean age of respondents was 28.5 ± 4.6 years, and the average gestational age was 31.3 ± 4.1 weeks. Mean DII was 20.3 ± 3.3 mg/day, and Hb concentration was 97.9 ± 12.9 g/L. Furthermore, 83.8% had IDA and multivariable-adjusted OR and 95% CI for odds of IDA across tertiles of energy-adjusted DII were 1.00, 0.32 (0.05, 1.77), 0.07 (0.01, 0.36) P for trend < 0.0001 adjusting for age, primigravidae status and monthly income.

Conclusion: higher DII was inversely associated with the odds of IDA among pregnant women. Behavioural change communication promoting the consumption of iron-rich foods might be a viable dietary strategy to alleviate the high burden of IDA among women in this population.

Keywords: Iron; Nigeria; anaemia; haemoglobin; pregnancy.