Risk factors for maternal anaemia and low birth weight in pregnant women living in rural India: a prospective cohort study

Ahankari, Anand S.; Myles, Puja R.; Dixit, J.V.; Tata, Laila J.; Fogarty, Andrew W.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this prospective study was to estimate the prevalence and risk factors for maternal anaemia and low birth weight in pregnant women living in Maharashtra state, India.

Study design: Prospective study
Methods: Women between 3 to 5 months of pregnancy were recruited from 34 villages based in Maharashtra state. Baseline data collection, anthropometric measurements and blood investigations were performed. Participants were followed-up to record birth weight.

Results: In total, 303 women were eligible, and 287 (95%) provided data. 77% were anaemic defined as haemoglobin less than 11.0 g/dL at the time of recruitment, with a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of 80.5 fl/cell, (standard deviation: 7.22, range: 53.4 to 93.8). Increased risk of anaemia was seen in women with consanguineous marriages (odds ratio (OR): 2.41, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.16 to 5.01, p=0.01) after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Post-delivery data from full-term singleton live births demonstrated a 7% prevalence of low birth weight. Consanguineous marriage was a major risk for low birth weight (OR: 4.10, 95% CI: 1.25 to 13.41, p=0.02). The presence of maternal anaemia during 3 to 5 months of pregnancy was associated with lower risk of low birth weight (unadjusted OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.92, p= 0.03).

Conclusion: About 30% of our study participants were in a consanguineous marriage, which was identified as a potentially avoidable risk factor for both anaemia and low birth weight.

Citation

Ahankari, A. S., Myles, P. R., Dixit, J., Tata, L. J., & Fogarty, A. W. (2017). Risk factors for maternal anaemia and low birth weight in pregnant women living in rural India: a prospective cohort study. Public Health, 151, 63-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2017.06.023

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 24, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Jul 22, 2017
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jul 17, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 22, 2017
• Journal: Public Health
• Print ISSN: 0033-3506
• Electronic ISSN: 0033-3506
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 151
• Pages: 63-73
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2017.06.023
• Keywords: Pregnancy, Anaemia, Low birth weight, Consanguineous marriage, India
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/965846
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350617302263
• Additional Information: NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Public Health. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Public Health, Volume 51, pages 63-73, doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2017.06.023