Prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women: A community-based study in Udupi district

Anaemia in pregnancy, particularly iron deficiency, is a prominent problem in developing countries. The aim of the present study was to identify the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women attending ante-natal care units of selected hospitals of Udupi district during 2005-2006. About 1077 pregnant women were screened for anaemia using cyanmethemoglobin method during the first ante-natal visit. The prevalence of anaemia was found to be 50.14 per cent which is nearly equivalent to the prevalence rate reported in the literature for Karnataka. Further, findings of the study revealed that the prevalence was higher among young women, women belonging to low socioeconomic status and women with short pregnancy intervals and higher parity. High prevalence rate of anaemia observed in the present study suggests to implement various preventive strategies, especially advocacy and monitoring of the iron and folic acid supplementation.