Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 9:5:1367426.
doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2024.1367426. eCollection 2024.

Determinants of severity levels of anemia among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa: multilevel analysis

Lire Lemma Tirore  1 , Abriham Shiferaw Areba  1 , Habtamu Tamrat  2 , Aklilu Habte  1 , Desta Erkalo Abame  1
Affiliations

Determinants of severity levels of anemia among pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa: multilevel analysis

Lire Lemma Tirore et al. Front Glob Womens Health. .

Abstract

Background: Anemia is a severe public health problem affecting 54% of pregnant women in SSA Yet, only a limited number of studies have provided a partial assessment of the pooled prevalence and related determinants of the severity levels of anemia in pregnant women in SSA. Therefore, this study provides the most recent estimates of anemia severity levels and related determinants.

Methods: The most recent Demographic Health Survey (DHS) dataset of 21 Sub-Saharan African countries which were collected between 2015 and 2022 were used. A total of 14,098 pregnant women were included. Multilevel ordinal logistic regression was used.

Results: The pooled prevalence of anemia was 51.26%. Pregnant women who were in the old age groups, and who have attended secondary and higher education were less likely to be at higher levels of anemia. Those women who have given birth to >1 children in the last 5 years, pregnant women in second and third trimester and living in poorest households had greater odds of being at higher levels of anemia.

Conclusion: In Sub-Saharan Africa, anemia is a severe public health concern for pregnant mothers. When developing and implementing strategies for the prevention and control of anemia, it is imperative to take into account the individual and community circumstances. Programs for the prevention and control of anemia should incorporate the economic and educational empowerment of women.

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa; anemia; multilevel analysis; pregnant women; severity levels.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The pooled prevalence of severity levels of anemia among pregnant women in SSA, 2024.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage distribution of anemia among pregnant women of SSA countries, 2024.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. World Health Organization. Haemoglobin Concentrations for the Diagnosis of Anaemia and Assessment of Severity. Geneva: World Health Organization; (2011).
    1. Vitamin W. Mineral Nutrition Information System. Geneva: World Health Organization; (2011).
    1. Clark SF. Iron deficiency anemia. Nutr Clin Pract. (2008) 23(2):128–41. 10.1177/0884533608314536 - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. The World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risks, Promoting Healthy Life. Geneva: World Health Organization; (2002).
    1. Talaulikar VS, Arulkumaran S. Folic acid in obstetric practice: a review. Obstet Gynecol Surv. (2011) 66(4):240–7. 10.1097/OGX.0b013e318223614c - DOI - PubMed