History of Pica, Obesity, and Their Associations with Anemia in Pregnancy: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Anemia in pregnancy represents a major global health problem, and progress is insufficient to meet the World Health Assembly’s global nutrition target of halving anemia prevalence by 2030. We assessed the prevalence and factors associated with anemia among pregnant women in northern Sudan. This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Almatamah, River Nile State, Sudan. Sociodemographic and obstetric data were collected using a questionnaire. Hemoglobin (Hb) was measured using an automated hematology analyzer. Multivariate and simple linear regression analyses were performed. A total of 586 pregnant women were enrolled. Their median (interquartile range, IQR) age was 25 (21–30) years. The median (IQR) of body mass index (BMI) was 26.67 (24.34–30.04) kg/m2. The median (IQR) for Hb was 11.0 (10.0–11.9) g/dL. Of the 586 women, 271 (46.2%) had anemia (Hb: <11 gm/dL). In multivariate analysis, increasing BMI and obesity were significantly associated with decreased odds ratios (ORs) of anemia, while pica was associated with increased ORs of anemia. In conclusion, anemia in pregnant women is a major public health problem, as approximately half of pregnant women in northern Sudan have anemia. Increasing BMI and obesity were associated with a lower risk for anemia. More efforts are needed to improve the maternal nutritional status for good pregnancy outcomes.