Statistical analysis of anemic status among pregnant women in Ethiopia

Background: The prevalence of anemia in pregnant women is 68% globally. In Africa its prevalence is estimated to be 66.8%. In Ethiopia, anemia is the severe public health problem affecting 62.7% of pregnant mothers and 52.3% non-pregnant women. Objective: To fit an appropriate statistical model and identify potential factors of anemic status among pregnant women in Ethiopia Methods: A cross-sectional study design carried out based on the secondary data of the Ethiopia Demographic Health Survey. Pregnant women of reproductive age (15-49) were included in the analysis. Data were mainly analyzed using R- software offered for the analysis of binary responses with correlated data (GENMOD procedure). Results: Some of covariates for the marginal model revealed that pregnant women those lived in urban had 0.862 (p = 0.0012) times lower risk than those who lived in rural. Similarly, The odds ratio of anemic pregnant women whose age 15 to 20 had exp(β_1)= exp(-0.1936)= 0.824(95% CI: 0.6817 0.2945) times lower than those pregnant women whose age group (40-49), which means that the probability that the pregnant women being anemic whose age 15 to 20 is 17.6% times less likely to be anemic than those anemic pregnant women whose age group (40-49) in the same jth cluster and similar interpretation can be drawn in the remaining variables. Recommendation: Government should design strategies and policies to enhance women education to make them independent in socio-economic and cultural decision, which directly and indirectly affect women health status due to anemia. It is recommended that the remaining factors that have not been included in this study could be included in future studies.