Lion Heart Medical Centre, Yele, Gbonkolenken, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone.
Lion Heart Foundation INGO, Yele, Gbonkolenken, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jun 1;17(11):3918. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17113918.
Despite having reported one of the highest maternal mortality ratios and neonatal mortality rates in the world, surprisingly little is known about the general health status of pregnant women in rural parts of Sierra Leone. Malaria, anaemia and malnutrition are known contributors to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although their prevalence is known to be high, the burden of these conditions in the rural pregnant population remains unknown. Our study aimed to gain more insight into the health status of pregnant women. An observational retrospective descriptive study was conducted at the Lion Heart Medical Centre using antenatal care (ANC) registers. The study revealed high prevalence of malaria (35.2%), maternal undernutrition (10.4%) and anaemia (65.9%). The proportion of teenage pregnancies in the ANC population was 16.4%. Both malaria and anaemia were more prevalent in this group, with odds ratios of 2.1 and 1.7, respectively. The findings reveal alarming high rates of anaemia, acute undernutrition and malaria among pregnant women and high numbers of pregnancy among adolescents, with increased health risks. These results will be used to advocate for a malnutrition program, specifically for pregnant women. Our study further emphasises the importance of preventing malaria and anaemia in pregnant women.
尽管塞拉利昂农村地区的孕产妇死亡率和新生儿死亡率一直位居世界前列，但令人惊讶的是，人们对农村地区孕妇的整体健康状况知之甚少。疟疾、贫血和营养不良是导致不良妊娠结局的已知因素。尽管这些疾病的患病率很高，但农村孕妇的患病负担仍不清楚。我们的研究旨在更深入地了解孕妇的健康状况。本研究采用产前保健（ANC）登记册，在狮子之心医疗中心进行了一项观察性回顾性描述性研究。研究表明，疟疾（35.2%）、孕产妇营养不良（10.4%）和贫血（65.9%）的患病率很高。在 ANC 人群中，青少年怀孕的比例为 16.4%。这组人群中疟疾和贫血的患病率更高，比值比分别为 2.1 和 1.7。研究结果表明，孕妇贫血、急性营养不良和疟疾的发病率惊人地高，青少年怀孕的人数也很多，这增加了健康风险。这些结果将用于倡导针对孕妇的营养不良项目。我们的研究进一步强调了预防孕妇疟疾和贫血的重要性。
