Mbowe Fatou, Darboe Kalifa Sanneh, Sanyang Abdoulie M, Barrow Amadou
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine, American International University West Africa, Kanifing, The Gambia.
National Public Health Laboratories, Ministry of Health, Kotu, The Gambia.
Womens Health (Lond). 2025 Jan-Dec;21:17455057251338380. doi: 10.1177/17455057251338380. Epub 2025 May 14.
Anemia during pregnancy remains a significant global health concern, particularly in developing countries, contributing to adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. In The Gambia, despite national health policies promoting iron supplementation and malaria prevention, maternal anemia continues to be a common cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and determinants of anemia among pregnant women attending maternal and child health clinics at Sukuta Health Center in The Gambia.
An analytical institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 425 pregnant women attending antenatal care. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge of anemia, and anemia prevention practices. Hemoglobin levels were measured to determine the anemia status. Chi-square tests and a binary logistic regression model were used to assess the associations between variables, with statistical significance set at < 0.05, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).
The prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was 21.6%. The majority of women (55.3%) demonstrated good knowledge of anemia during pregnancy. The husbands' occupational status was significantly associated with anemia ( = 0.036). Recognition of anemia symptoms was strongly associated with anemia status ( < 0.001). While 88.7% of the women recognized the importance of a nutritious diet in preventing anemia, only 46.9% mentioned iron supplements as a preventive measure. Nurses were the primary source of information about anemia (97.2%). Pregnant women who were Muslim had 4.3 times higher odds of being anemic (aOR = 4.295, 95% CI: 1.103-16.727) than those who were Christian after controlling for confounders.
Despite the lower prevalence of anemia, there remains a need for improved comprehensive understanding and prevention practices. The significant association between husbands' occupation and anemia status highlights the importance of considering household economic factors in anemia prevention. There is a need to design culturally tailored interventions targeting larger, resource-constrained Muslim households to effectively address anemia during pregnancy.
孕期贫血仍然是一个重大的全球健康问题，在发展中国家尤为突出，会导致不良的母婴结局。在冈比亚，尽管国家卫生政策提倡补充铁剂和预防疟疾，但孕产妇贫血仍是发病和死亡的常见原因。本研究旨在确定在冈比亚苏库塔健康中心妇幼保健诊所就诊的孕妇中贫血的患病率及其决定因素。
对425名接受产前护理的孕妇进行了一项基于机构的分析性横断面研究。使用结构化问卷收集数据，内容涵盖社会人口学特征、贫血知识及贫血预防措施。测量血红蛋白水平以确定贫血状况。采用卡方检验和二元逻辑回归模型评估变量之间的关联，统计学显著性设定为<0.05，调整后的比值比（aOR）及95%置信区间（CI）。
孕妇贫血患病率为21.6%。大多数女性（55.3%）对孕期贫血有良好的认知。丈夫的职业状况与贫血显著相关（=0.036）。对贫血症状的认知与贫血状况密切相关（<0.001）。虽然88.7%的女性认识到营养饮食对预防贫血的重要性，但只有46.9%的女性提到铁补充剂作为预防措施。护士是关于贫血信息的主要来源（97.2%）。在控制混杂因素后，穆斯林孕妇贫血的几率比基督教孕妇高4.3倍（aOR = 4.295，95% CI：1.103 - 16.727）。
尽管贫血患病率较低，但仍需要提高全面的认识和预防措施。丈夫的职业与贫血状况之间的显著关联凸显了在贫血预防中考虑家庭经济因素的重要性。有必要针对规模更大、资源有限的穆斯林家庭设计符合文化特点的干预措施，以有效解决孕期贫血问题。
