Prevalence and risk factors of anemia among pregnant women attending a high-volume tertiary care center for delivery

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of anemia and predisposing factors contributing to anemia in pregnant women prior to delivery.Material and Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 1221 women who delivered between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation between July 2014 and January 2015. Data on the subjects’ socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, pregnancy outcomes, and hemoglobin levels within 24 h prior to delivery were collected. The study population was divided into two groups on the basis of the presence of anemia within 24 h prior to delivery. Anemia was defined as a hemoglobin level of 3 [odds ratio (OR) =1.82, 95% CI=1.24–2.96, p=0.002], illiterate (OR=2.23, 95% CI=1.35–3.45, p=0.001) and primary educational level (OR=2.01, 95% CI=1.28–3.39, p=0.008), household monthly income per person