Abstract

Assessing the prevalence and risk factors of anemia in women of reproductive age attending primary health care in Afghanistan’s Provinces of Kabul, Nangarhar, and Herat

Author(s): Mamosai Zewar and Sourabh Chakraborty

Background: Anemia is one of the most significant consequences of dietary deficiencies in the world. Over 25% of the global population is afflicted. In the world, anemia affects 41.84% of pregnant women and nearly 30.2% of non-pregnant women. Anemia causes can be broadly classified into three major groups: nutritional deficiencies, infectious diseases, and genetic hemoglobin disorders. The most common cause of anemia in developing countries is nutritional anemia. The paper describes factors associated with anemia in reproductive-age women at Kabul, Herat, and Ningrahar primary health care centers, where many patients come from Paghman, Zendajan, and Sangar Sary districts. A low-income slum in Afghanistan. Objective: The objective was to identify how prevalent anemia is and what risk factors contribute to it. Method: a cross-sectional quantitative study among 385 Women of Reproductive Age (WRA) based face to face interviews. Result: The mean Hb level was 52.1% (95% CI:50.7-53.4). In multivariate analysis, anemia was significantly associated with age group, family income, nutritional habits, drinking tea with food, use of iron tablets, irregular menstruation, birth spacing, and history of anemia. Conclusion: Policymakers must develop appropriate practical and context-based policies and initiatives to better address anemia in women during their reproductive years.