Anemia and its determinants among non-pregnant women of childbearing age at Tsirae Wonberta district, Tigray, Ethiopia, 2020: a community based cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Anemia affects nearly one-third of women of reproductive age worldwide, with non-pregnant women being the third most impacted demographic. Despite the increased vulnerability of non-pregnant women of childbearing age, much of the research conducted in Ethiopia has primarily focused on anemia in pregnant women. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and contributing factors of anemia among non-pregnant women of childbearing age in the Tsirae Wonbereta District of Tigray, Ethiopia, in 2020.

METHOD

A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from September 24, 2020, to October 29, 2020, on a total of 251 non-pregnant women of childbearing age. Data were collected using a semi-structured, pretested questionnaire, and blood samples were collected to measure hemoglobin levels. The collected data was entered into the SPSS version 25 for analysis. Finally, an adjusted odds ratio, with a 95% confidence interval and a p-value of ≤ 0.05, was used to declare statistical significance for the factors associated with anemia.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of anemia among non-pregnant women of childbearing age was 24.3% (95% CI: 19.1-30.1). In terms of severity, 68.9% of anemic cases are classified as mild, while 31.1% are categorized as moderate. Gender of household head (AOR: 2.307; 95% CI: 1.030-5.168), educational status of the women (AOR: 2.318; 95% CI: 1.027-5.229), ownership of poultry (AOR: 0.515; 95% CI: 0.272-0.977), the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic (AOR: 2.397; 95% CI: 1.108-5.184) and weekly consumption of pulse (AOR: 2.040; 95% CI: 1.024-4.065) were significantly associated with anemia in non-pregnant women.

CONCLUSION

The overall prevalence of anemia among non-pregnant women of childbearing age in Tsirae Wonbereta District, Tigray, Ethiopia was 24.3%, indicating anemia as a moderate public health concern. The majority of the anemia cases were of the mild type. Making policies and programs gender-responsive to empower women in agriculture, education, income, and decision-making to improve nutrition is recommended.