Prevalence and associated factors for iron deficiency anemia among pregnant women in Fuyang, China

ABSTRACT

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnant women was associated with increased risks of both maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of IDA and identify the associated factors of IDA among pregnancy woman in Fuyang, China. The cross-sectional study was carried out in 789 pregnant women using simple random sampling method living in Fuyang, China from August 2017 to May 2018. Overall, the prevalence of IDA was 39.8%. 1-unit increment in maternal age was associated with a 5% increased risk of IDA, and 1-unit increased in BMI was associated with a 6% decreased risk of IDA (all P < .01). When compared with exercise for <30 minutes, 30–60 minutes of daily exercise was associated with a lower risk of IDA (P = .02). Similarly, when compared with a low frequency intake of iron-rich food, intake≥once/week was associated with a lower risk of IDA (P < .0001). However, vitamin C-rich food intake ≥twice/day was associated with a higher risk of IDA (P = .01) and a normal or bad appetite increased the risk of IDA when compared with a good appetite (P < .01). Our findings suggested that high frequency of iron-rich food intake, good appetite, and moderate physical activity were important for the prevention of IDA during pregnancy.

KEYWORDS:

• Iron deficiency anemia
• nutrition
• pregnant woman
• prevalence
• risk factors

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval and consent to participate

All the protocol of this study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Fuyang People’s Hospital and all participants provided written consent.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the grants from the National Key Research and Development Project-Study on Diet and Nutrition Assessment and Intervention Technology [No. 2020YFC2006305, 2020YFC2006300].