FREQUENCY, DISTRIBUTION AND DETERMINANTS OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AMONG THIRD TRIMESTER INDOOR PREGNANT WOMEN

Background: Iron deficiency anemia is a common health problem during pregnancy in developing countries. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency, distribution & determinants of iron deficiency anemia among third trimester pregnant women in our population. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan from October 2015 to March 2016. Sample size was 360 calculated through an online calculator. The inclusion criteria was third trimester pregnant women. Demographic variables were age in years, age groups and social class. Research variables were Hb in mg/dL, presence of iron deficiency anemia, grades of iron deficiency anemia (mild/ moderate/ severe) and iron intake (yes/no). Numeric variables such as age in years and Hb were analyzed as mean and SD, whereas rest of the variables being categorical as count and percentages. Chi-square tests of association was computed. Result: The mean age of the sample was 29.31 ±6.99 and CI of 27.92-30.70. The mean hemoglobin level was 10.33 ±1.7 and 95% CI of 9.99-10.67. The overall frequency of iron deficiency anemia was found out to be 52%, in which 25% were mild, 22% moderate and 5% were severely anemic. Women with middle class had higher frequency of 145 cases. Association of iron deficiency anemia with social class (χ2=7.95, p