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 Nov;13(11):4853-4860.
doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_336_24. Epub 2024 Nov 18.

Postpartum morbidity and its determinants with special reference to anemia among urban vulnerable population in Uttar Pradesh: A cross-sectional study

Tuhina Shree  1 , Deepika Agrawal  1 , Pradeep Kaswan  1 , Souvik Manna  1
Affiliations

Postpartum morbidity and its determinants with special reference to anemia among urban vulnerable population in Uttar Pradesh: A cross-sectional study

Tuhina Shree et al. J Family Med Prim Care. 2024 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The postpartum period is critically important for comprehensive obstetric care; however, most women are neglected during this important period.

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the burden of postpartum morbidities and associated factors among the urban vulnerable population in Gautam Buddha district, Uttar Pradesh.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 postpartum women in urban slums of Gautam Buddha district. A semi-structured questionnaire was used along with a physical examination and assessment of anemia by Sahli's hemoglobinometer.

Results: A total of 106 (70.7%) mothers reported at least one of the postpartum morbidities (PPMs). The most frequently reported morbidity was anemia (55.3%) followed by backache (29.3%). Almost a third (39, 36.8%) of all women, who suffered from PPM, did not seek any treatment for the same. Univariate analysis revealed that morbidities were higher among women with low literacy (Odds Ratio, OR: 5.63, 95% CI: 2.508-13.54, p = 0.000), low socioeconomic status (OR: 0.317, 95% CI: 0.151-0.657, p = 0.002), and inadequate antenatal care (OR: 0.108, 95% CI: 0.044-0.246, p = 0.0001). Similarly, young mothers (OR: 2.599, 95% CI: 1.332-5.14), less educated (OR = 3.603, 95% CI: 1.838-7.203, p = 0.000), those from lower economic status (OR: 0.247, 95% CI: 0.119-0.497, p = 0.001), with inadequate antenatal care (OR: 0.112, 95% CI: 0.052-0.232, p = 0.005), and low iron folic acid intake (OR: 0.371, 95% CI: 0.184-0.732, p = 0.004) showed higher prevalence of anemia.

Conclusion: The role of education and adequate antenatal care are highlighted in the study. Antenatal visits should be utilized as opportunities to increase awareness regarding various aspects of care during the postnatal period. Maintaining more comprehensive support and involvement between health care providers and the mothers is needed to prevent many of these postpartum morbidities.

Keywords: Anemia; mother and child health; postpartum morbidity; prevalence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of study subjects according to obstetric events
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lopez-Gonzalez DM, Kopparapu AK. Postpartum Care of the New Mother. StatPearls. 2022. [Last accessed on 2024 Apr 15]. Available from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK565875/ - PubMed
    1. India-Sample Registration System (SRS)-Special Bulletin On Maternal Mortality in India 2018-20. [Last accessed on 2024 Feb 28]. Available from:https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/44379 .
    1. WHO Technical Consultation on Postpartum Care. 2010. [Last accessed on 2024 Feb 28]. Available from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK310595/
    1. Storeng KT, Murray SF, Akoum MS, Ouattara F, Filippi V. Beyond body counts: A qualitative study of lives and loss in Burkina Faso after “near-miss”obstetric complications. Soc Sci Med. 2010;71:1749–56. - PubMed
    1. WHO recommendations on Postnatal care of the mother and newborn. [Last accessed on 2024 Feb 28]. Available from:https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241506649 .

LinkOut - more resources