THE PREDICTORS OF ANEMIA FOR WOMEN PREGNANCY IN ETHNIC MINANGKABAU

Abstract

Anemia is the most common hematologic abnormality condition in which Haemoglobin (Hb) level in the body is lower than normal. This situation causes the amount of oxygen to reach the tissue so that it interferes with the organ’s tissues to function properly. In West Sumatera, the prevalence of anemia in pregnancy is 24,7%, where thus’s decreased from the previous years. This study aims to reveal the predictors of anemia in women pregnancy in ethnic Minangkabau. The study was conducted among 31 pregnant women with 3rd trimester who visit Batu Hampar Public Medical Center for a routine antenatal check-up. Exclusion criteria: diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and any congenital haemoglobin disorders were excluded from the study. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used for collecting information on socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive and medical history of the study subjects. Information on the most recent haemoglobin level was obtained from the women’s medical record. An “Easy Touch” tools digital Hb test as a tools for measuring Hb levels. The results of our study showed that all variables correlated with anemia in pregnancy, pvalue; maternal age (0.000), parity (0.000), occupation status (0.000), nutritional status (0.006), educational status (0.013), family per capita monthly income (0.027), antenatal care (0.027) and range of pregnancy with previous pregnancy (0.032). Therefore, we should vigorously promote early prenatal care for these at-risk pregnant women. This would allow for iron and folic acid supplementation during pregnancy, which would potentially reduce the prevalence of anemia.