title: Maternal anemia in Benin: prevalence, risk factors, and association with low birth weight.
abstract: We studied the prevalence of anemia during pregnancy and its relationship with low birth weight (LBW; birth weight < 2,500 g) in Benin. We analyzed 1,508 observations from a randomized controlled trial conducted from 2005 to 2008 showing equivalence on the risk of LBW between two drugs for Intermittent Preventive Treatment of malaria during pregnancy (IPTp). Despite IPTp, helminth prophylaxis, and iron and folic acid supplementations, the proportions of women with severe anemia (hemoglobin [Hb] concentration < 80 g/L) and anemia (Hb < 110 g/L) were high throughout pregnancy: 3.9% and 64.7% during the second and 3.7% and 64.1% during the third trimester, but 2.5% and 39.6% at the onset of labor, respectively. Compared with women without anemia (Hb ≥ 110 g/L) during the third trimester, women with severe anemia (Hb < 80 g/L) were at higher risk of LBW after adjustment for potential confounding factors (prevalence ratio [PR] = 2.8; 95% confidence interval [1.4-5.6]).
authors: Department of Medical Parasitology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, USA. bodeaf01@nyumc.org
authors: Florence
authors: F
authors: Bodeau-Livinec
authors: Valerie
authors: V
authors: Briand
authors: Jacques
authors: J
authors: Berger
authors: Xu
authors: X
authors: Xiong
authors: Achille
authors: A
authors: Massougbodji
authors: Karen P
authors: KP
authors: Day
authors: Michel
authors: M
authors: Cot
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001541:Benin / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000097:blood*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000453:epidemiology; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors