ABSTRACT
Anaemia in pregnancy is a common problem in most developing countries and a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in malaria endemic areas. In pregnancy, anaemia has a significant impact on the health of the foetus as well as that of the mother. 20% of maternal deaths in Africa have been attributed to anaemia. Anemia during pregnancy is highly preventable and treatable. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of anaemia among women attending ANC in Medical Center, Mararaban Gurku. This was a cross sectional study of 406 women attending the antenatal clinic for their booking visit. The capillary technique was used for the estimation of the packed cell volume (PCV) to assess level of anaemia; Questionnaires were also administered to obtain demographic information- age, parity, social class and gestational age at booking were obtained and analyzed. Out of the 406 women studied, 229 were anaemic thus making the prevalence of anaemia to be 56.4%. Most, 89.5% were mildly anaemic, 10.5% were moderately anaemic while none of the women were severely anaemic. Two hundred and sixty, (64%) of the women booked in the first trimester, 33.3% booked in the second trimester while only 2.7% booked in the third trimester. More women were anaemic in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy, with a higher prevalence among the multigravidae (59.3%). Anaemia was highest among company workers and least among civil servants. The women who had birth intervals of ≤1 year had the highest prevalence of anaemia (53.3%), followed by those who had a birth inter of 2-4 years, while those women who had a birth interval of more than 4years had the least Prevalence (44.5%) of anaemia. The prevalence of anaemia amongst the participants was high. The parity, gestational age at booking, educational status and the birth interval are factors that were found to have affected the prevalence of anaemia in this study. Therefore educating women on early antenatal booking and compliance with the use of prescribed medications (Iron Supplements, Folate and Antimalarials) should also be emphasized to reduce the problem of anaemia in pregnancy in Nigeria.