A Retrospective Study: To Study the Prevalence of Anemia among Antenatal Females in a District of J & K

Introduction: Globally, the prevalence of anemia among women of reproductive age is about 29.4%, and anemia impacts about 40% of pregnant women and more than 20% of non-pregnant women. Anemia is one of the most common nutritional deficiency disorders affecting pregnant women; the prevalence in developed countries is 14%, in developing countries 51%, and in India, it varies from 65% to 75%. In India, anemia during pregnancy is a significant public health problem, with 45.7% of pregnant women in urban areas and 52.1% in rural areas having hemoglobin levels <11 g/dl. Anemia is the underlying cause or contributing factor for 20-40% of maternal deaths in India, which accounts for 80% of maternal deaths attributable to anemia in South Asia. The aim of the study is to determine the magnitude of anemia in antenatal females according to severity and to find out its association with different variables. Methodology: Retrospective record-based study conducted at Rural Health Training Centre Garhi, Udhampur, J&K. Data regarding pregnancy were collected for 3 years i.e. from 1st April 2020 to 31st March 2023, and 495 females were registered during that period. Data was analyzed using SPSS 22. Result: The most common age group seen was 18-25 years (42.2%), majority of females were Hindu (90.9%) and belonged to middle socio-economic status (51.9%). The obstetrics history of the antenatal females shows, most of them registered themselves in their 1st trimester (79.8%) and around 20.4% of the females had birth interval between 1-2 years, followed by <1 year. The majority of them had moderate anemia (58.2%), followed by mild anemia (38.6%). Less than 1% of females had severe anemia while the rest had no anemia (3%). Conclusion: High prevalence of anemia in pregnant women indicates that anemia continues to be a major public health problem in rural areas of India. Anemia in pregnancy increases the maternal and fetal risks. Gravida status, female literacy, and bad obstetric history were important risk factors contributing for anemia in pregnant women. The findings of our study can contribute to the formulation of strategies for the prevention and treatment of anemia during pregnancy.