Vol. 6, Issue 3, Part A (2023)

Objective: One of the major public health problems across the world, including developing countries, is anemia in pregnancy. The pregnant women living in rural areas of Iraq may face some of the most significant challenges for overcoming anemia due to limited access to health care, decreased nutrition, socioeconomic difficulties, and others.

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women living in rural areas of Iraqi and assess the factors that are associated with anemia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was performed in five rural governorates in Iraq from January 2024 - August 2024. Using systematic random selection 1247 pregnant women receiving ante-natal care from primary health care centers were included into the study. Hemoglobin was assessed using routine level lab methods and participants were considered anemic if their hemoglobin level was less than 11.0 grams per deciliter. The socio-demographic data, obstetric history, and nutritional factors were collected using structured interviews.

Results: The prevalence of anemia was 68.4% (n=853 out of 1247). The prevalence of mild anemia (Hb 10.0-10.9 g/dL) lifetime was observed in 45.2% of participating women, the prevalence of moderate anemia (Hb 7.0-9.9 g/dL) in 21.8% of the women and severe anemia (Hb<7.0 g/dL) was found in 1.4% of the women. The significant risk factors of anemia included multiparty, (OR=2.3, 95% CI: 1.8-2.9), low socioeconomic status (OR=1.9, 95% CI: 1.4-2.6), not taking the indicated iron supplementation (OR=2.8, 95% CI: 2.1-3.7), and not accessing health care (OR=1.7, 95% CI: 1.3-2.2) and others.

Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia note in pregnant women in rural Iraq clearly surpasses the WHO suggested critical threshold values for serious public health problems. Interventions from local and international organizations and agencies such as those involved in interventions to improve access to iron supplementation, education on nutrition and access to healthcare needs to be escalated at this time.