Abstract:

s the most common nutritional deficiency disorder found in about 56% of all women living in developing countries as per World Health Organization. It is the second most common cause in India and is responsible for 20% of total maternal deaths. Aims and Objectives: To study the factors associated with anemia in pregnant females and To study the prevalence of anaemia in rural pregnant women. Material and Methods:538 participants were interviewed by using a pre- structured and pretested questionnaire including prime gravida, second gravida and> second gravida over a period of 1year from November 2015 to November 2016 in a tertiary care centre in district Sonipat, Haryana. Anaemia was classified as per the World Health Organization (WHO) grading criteria which is taken as 11g/dl anaemia in pregnancy which is further classified in to mild anaemia (haemoglobin 10-10.9 g/dl), moderate anaemia (haemoglobin7.0-9.9 g/dl) and severe anemia (haemoglobin <7 g/dL as per WHO. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample. Inclusion criteria: The study subjects of age< 20 years to 30 and > 30 years were included. the prevalence of anaemia was observed in all the three trimesters. Exclusion criteria: Females with history of recent blood transfusion, chronic renal disease and ante partum haemorrhage were excluded. The diagnosis of anemia was undertaken by peripheral blood smear examination and standard haemoglobin estimation by Sahli’s method. Results: Among 538 subjects, the prevalence of anemia was found to be 58.48% classified in mild, moderate & severe categories. Mother‘s age, parity, education, socio-economic status, and dietary habits were found to be highly significant factors associated with maternal anemia. Other factors like family structure, size and attainment of menarche were found to be of least significance so far anemia is concerned Conclusion: High prevalence of anemia (59.3) calls for strict implementation of National Nutrition Anemia prophylaxis programme.

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