Prevalence of anemia in the postnatal women at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Mumbai

Abstract

Background: Anemia is rampant in India. Around 20% of maternal deaths are due to indirect causes and anemia is the most significant cause. The prevalence of anemia in pregnant women has remained unacceptably high worldwide despite the fact that routine iron supplementation during pregnancy has been almost universally recommended to prevent maternal anemia, especially in developing countries over the past 30 years. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the postnatal ward of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and General Hospital, Mumbai, during the period of January 2008 to June 2008. A total of 408 women were included and a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire was used for the study. Data was analyzed by using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0. Results: In the present study, 312 (76.5%) women were found anemic. Anemia was classified into mild (30.1%), moderate (59.6%), and severe (10.3%). Only 72 (25.5%) had more than three ANC visits during the pregnancy. About 234 (57.4%) received iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets, while 174 (42.6%) didn't receive. Conclusion: Most of the women did not receive IFA tablets and out of those very few consumed more than 100 tablets as per the National Nutritional Anemia Prophylaxis Program. There is a need to promote, educate, and increase the awareness regarding the National health programs at the community level.