Prevalence of Anemia Among Pregnant Women Attending ANC in Leku General Hospital, Sidama, Ethiopia

<i>Introduction</i>: Anemia is a global public health issue that affects people of all ages, although pregnant women and children under the age of five are the most vulnerable. During pregnancy, iron deficiency is associated with multiple adverse outcomes for both mothers and infants in developing countries. Nutritional anemia is also the most prevalent type of anemia in the world. This study's objective was to determine how common anemia was among pregnant women attending antenatal care at Leku General Hospital. <i>Method</i>: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July 25-August 15, 2022, on 284 pregnant women attending in Leku General Hospital. Pretested questionnaires based on interviews were used to collect socio-demographic information and related data. Hemoglobin concentration was determined using Beckman Coulter DxH 800 analyzer and hemoglobin concentration <11 g/dl was classified as anemic. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictor's value for anemia. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. <i>Result</i>: The prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was found to be 21.7% (95% CI: 16.7%-26.8%). Women who live in rural areas were revealed to be factors affecting pregnant women's anemia (AOR = 4.2, 95% CI: 1.97-9.10). Approximately half of the anemic pregnant women surveyed were found to have moderate anemia (Hb 7- 9.9 g/dl) with 55% and 7% severely anemic. The most important clinically relevant finding was that (65%) of anemic pregnant women were found to have microcytic and hypochromic anemia which is the most common type in pregnancy that occurs mostly due to iron deficiency. <i>Conclusion</i>: Compared to the national pooled data, this study finds anemia has a moderate impact on local public health. The related factors should be considered for improving rural community-based anemia management for pregnant women.