Risk factors for maternal anaemia and low birth weight in pregnant women living in rural India: a prospective cohort study

摘要

Objective: The aim of this prospective study was to estimate the prevalence and risk factors for maternal anaemia and low birth weight in pregnant women living in Maharashtra state, India.\ud\udStudy design: Prospective study\udMethods: Women between 3 to 5 months of pregnancy were recruited from 34 villages based in Maharashtra state. Baseline data collection, anthropometric measurements and blood investigations were performed. Participants were followed-up to record birth weight.\ud\udResults: In total, 303 women were eligible, and 287 (95%) provided data. 77% were anaemic defined as haemoglobin less than 11.0 g/dL at the time of recruitment, with a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of 80.5 fl/cell, (standard deviation: 7.22, range: 53.4 to 93.8). Increased risk of anaemia was seen in women with consanguineous marriages (odds ratio (OR): 2.41, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.16 to 5.01, p=0.01) after adjustment for potential confounding factors. Post-delivery data from full-term singleton live births demonstrated a 7% prevalence of low birth weight. Consanguineous marriage was a major risk for low birth weight (OR: 4.10, 95% CI: 1.25 to 13.41, p=0.02). The presence of maternal anaemia during 3 to 5 months of pregnancy was associated with lower risk of low birth weight (unadjusted OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.92, p= 0.03).\ud\udConclusion: About 30% of our study participants were in a consanguineous marriage, which was identified as a potentially avoidable risk factor for both anaemia and low birth weight.