Haemoglobin status of pregnant women in island rural area of Bangladesh

Abstract

Anaemia is the world's most prevalent nutritional disorder. Pregnant women are particularly at risk of developing Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) with a highest prevalence in South-East Asia and especially in Bangladesh. The objective of the present study was to evaluate haemoglobin status of pregnant women in Hatiya, Sandwip and Monpura Upazilla of Bangladesh. A total number of 49 pregnant women aged between 15 to 35 years were taken for this study. Capillary blood samples were collected and haemoglobin levels were determined by Easy Touch® GCHb Meter (Bioptik Technology, Inc., Taiwan). Most of the women (53.3%) were from the age group of 20 to 30 years and least number of the women (8.2%) were from the age group >30 years. Haemoglobin level during pregnancy was estimated and 78.6% of the pregnant women were observed with low haemoglobin level. Correlation between distribution of haemoglobin level in pregnant women at different age level and with Body Mass Index (BMI) was also done. Major causes of low haemoglobin level in pregnant women were found in availability of antenatal services, lack of care in check up, low level of education background, insufficient intake of iron, folate supplements, lack of proper nutrition knowledge regarding iron rich foods, insufficient consumption of balanced diet, food taboos and the improper initiatives of government and different health organizations in such island rural areas.