TITLE:
Anemia among Antenatal Mother in Urban Malaysia
AUTHORS:
Kim Lam Soh, Eusni Rahayu Mohd Tohit, Salimah Japar, Soh Kim Geok, Norhaslinda Binti Ab Rahman, Rosna Abdul Raman
KEYWORDS:
Antenatal Mothers, Pregnant Women, Haemoglobin, Anemia, Maternal, Malaysia
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.3 No.3,
March
18,
2015
ABSTRACT: An understanding of factors influencing
haemoglobin (Hb) level among antenatal mothers can help healthcare providers
assess, take appropriate action and manage anaemia in this risk group more
effectively. A cross-sectional study was conducted in urban areas in Malaysia
to determine the Hb levels of antenatal mothers and their association with
various socio-economic characteristics. Data for this study were collected from
pregnant women during their first antenatal check-up at three selected
polyclinics in Malaysia. Anaemia in pregnancy was determined by the Hb level
recorded during the first and the last antenatal visits. Determination of Hb
was either by a photo calorimetric method or by the Sahliís method. A
structured self-administered questionnaire was used to identify the factors
influencing Hb level among the antenatal mothers. This study found that 73 out
of 217 mothers (33%) were anaemic in that their Hb levels were below 11.00
g/dl. The findings also suggested that Hb levels among the antenatal mothers were
influenced by various factors such as education level, occupation, and family
income. Anaemia was generally more common among antenatal mothers who had a
lower level of education and who were from a background of lower family income.