Anemia in Mexican women: results of two national probabilistic surveys.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence of anemia in Mexican women and analyze its trends with information from the last two national nutrition surveys.


METHODS
The prevalence of anemia in women was analyzed. Anemia was adjusted by socioeconomic profile and by potentially explanatory variables.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence of anemia for pregnant women was 20.2% (95% CI 15.9, 26.2%) and 15.5% for non-pregnant women (95% CI 14.7, 16.4%). The prevalence of anemia in women decreased from 1999 to 2006 in all socioeconomic profiles. Adolescent women living in the northern and in the southern regions had a greater risk of anemia than those in Mexico City (p= 0.05). Significant risk was found among low socioeconomic level (p< 0.06). Greater parity was a significant risk factor (p< 0.05) for being anemic.


CONCLUSIONS
Although anemia in reproductive age women in Mexico decreased, it continues to be a public health problem.
Shamah-Levy
Teresa
T
Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. tshamah@insp.mx
Villalpando-Hernández
Salvador
S
García-Guerra
Armando
A
Mundo-Rosas
Verónica
V
Mejía-Rodríguez
Fabiola
F
Domínguez-Islas
Clara Penélope
CP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D055815:Young Adult