Anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2018

Abstract

Anemia is a globally widespread condition in women and is associated with reduced economic productivity and increased mortality worldwide. Here we map annual 2000–2018 geospatial estimates of anemia prevalence in women of reproductive age (15–49 years) across 82 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), stratify anemia by severity and aggregate results to policy-relevant administrative and national levels. Additionally, we provide subnational disparity analyses to provide a comprehensive overview of anemia prevalence inequalities within these countries and predict progress toward the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target (WHO GNT) to reduce anemia by half by 2030. Our results demonstrate widespread moderate improvements in overall anemia prevalence but identify only three LMICs with a high probability of achieving the WHO GNT by 2030 at a national scale, and no LMIC is expected to achieve the target in all their subnational administrative units. Our maps show where large within-country disparities occur, as well as areas likely to fall short of the WHO GNT, offering precision public health tools so that adequate resource allocation and subsequent interventions can be targeted to the most vulnerable populations.

National, regional, and global estimates of anaemia by severity in women and children for 2000–19: a pooled analysis of population-representative data

“…Finally, our finding of poor progress towards the WHA anaemia target is consistent with the conclusions of a study that assessed progress in specific low-income and middle-income countries. 40 …”

“…Effectively addressing anaemia in all its forms requires a firm understanding of the unique determinants of anaemia in a particular setting, including by subnational area. 40 Steps for developing an anaemia-control strategy, along with key actions and recommendations, have been outlined by WHO and others. 1 , 41…”

Maternal iron-and-folic-acid supplementation and its association with low-birth weight and neonatal mortality in India

“…IDA disproportionately affects women, especially pregnant women (7,8) . In 2018, an estimated 181•3 million women were found to be anaemic (95 % CI: 171•4, 190•2) in India, of which an estimated 103•4 million (95 % CI: 94•2, 112 •7) were moderately or severely anaemic (9) . As compared with a non-anaemic pregnant woman, an anaemic pregnant woman has higher likelihood of pregnancy complications, experiencing adverse pregnancy and poor birth outcomes such as preterm birth (PTB), intrauterine growth restriction, stillbirth, low-birth weight (LBW) and neonatal deaths (1,(7)(8)(9)(10)(11) .…”

Effectiveness of Multimodal Ayurvedic Treatment in Vataja Pandu w.s.r Nutritional Deficiency Anemia - A Case Report

“…Women of reproductive age i.e., during 15-49 years are particularly at increased risk of nutritional deficiency and, therefore, anemia, compared to men, due to physiological changes such as menstruation (blood loss pathway), pregnancy (inadequate production pathway due to increased demand) and bleeding in childbirth, is more prevalent in females. Additionally, unequal household food allocation can make women vulnerable to anemia as they might not have access to nutrition-rich foods [10] . Families of poor income group are unable to afford proper diet and due to improper and imbalanced diet, women of those families may easily suffer from nutritional deficiencies [11] .…”