Prevalence and determinants of anaemia among pregnant women in a high malaria transmission setting: a cross-sectional study in rural Burkina Faso

Introduction: anemia, the commonest nutritional deficiency disorder among pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa, is associated with severe peripartum complications. Its regular monitoring is necessary to timely inform clinical and preventive decision-making. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of anemia among pregnant women in rural areas of Burkina Faso. Methods: between August 2019 and March 2020, a cross-sectional study was conducted to collect maternal sociodemographic, gynaeco-obstetric, and medical characteristics by face-to-face interview or by review of antenatal care books. In addition, maternal malaria was diagnosed by standard microscopy and the hemoglobin levels (Hb) measured by spectrophotometry. The proportion of anaemia (Hb<11.0 g/dL), moderate (7.0<Hb<9.9 g/dL) and severe (Hb<7.0 g/dL) anaemia were determined. The maternal factors associated with anaemia were identified using regression models with likelihood ratio tests. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: of 594 pregnant women assessed, the mean hemoglobin level (+/- standard deviation) was 10.7 (+/- 0.1) g/dL, and the prevalence of anemia was 54.4% (323/594). The proportion of moderate, and severe anemia among pregnant women was 49.2% (95% CI: 45.1%-53.2%), and 5.2% (95% CI: 3.7%-7.3%) respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the young maternal age (<20 years old) (adjusted OR (aOR): 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3) and the presence of malaria (aOR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.2) were independently associated with the presence of maternal anemia. Conclusion: anemia remains common in the study setting and interventions to strengthen malaria prevention in pregnancy, particularly among young adolescent pregnant women, are required to prevent maternal anemia.