Level of vitamin A deficiency and associated factors among pregnant women in Wolaita Sodo, Southern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in Ethiopia. However, there is paucity of evidence in Vitamin A deficiency among pregnant women in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to determine the level of vitamin A deficiency and identify associated factors among pregnant women. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Wolaita Sodo, Southern Ethiopia from May-July 2020. Four hundred twenty two pregnant women were selected by using simple random sampling. Serum retinol concentration was determined by using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Data were analyzed in RStudio and binary logistic regression analysis was done. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was reported. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among pregnant women was 21.8% and the mean serum retinol level was 0.92 µmol/L. Women Aged 30 years or older (AOR = 7.80, 95% CI: 1.69, 36.01), did not attend ANC follow-up (AOR = 5.38, 95% CI: 1.55, 18.71), and did not consume green leafy vegetables (AOR = 2.70, 95% CI: 1.16, 6.29) were more likely to become vitamin A deficient. On the other hand, women from a household with middle (AOR = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.005, 0.31), richer (AOR = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.31), and richest (AOR = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.003, 0.18) wealth index, and have a dietary diversity score of four or more (AOR, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.12) had a lower odds of being vitamin A deficient. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency among pregnant women in the study area was high. Food-based approaches that focus on dietary diversification like gardening of vegetables and poultry production should be promoted. Health extension workers should recommend pregnant women to attend ANC. We recommend further studies to perform serum alpha-1-acid glycoprotein and C - reactive protein analyses to adjust for inflammation.