Livestock ownership and reproductive characteristics, but not maize production, are associated with anemia in women in malaria-endemic low-income setting

Background: It is unclear whether common agricultural practices, such as livestock farming and maize production, affect the burden of malaria and subsequent anemia status among reproductive-age women in a low-income setting. Methods : A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among women of reproductive age, comparing areas with high versus low maize production intensity in rural central Ethiopia. The study areas were categorized as high (> 50%) or low (≤ 10%) maize production clusters based on the percentage of cultivated land. Data were collected from 450 randomly selected households (250 from each cluster). Descriptive and bivariate statistics were used to outline the participants' profiles and the association of variables. Multivariate linear regression was applied to identify determinants of mean hemoglobin concentration levels. Results : The mean (± SD) hemoglobin concentration remained statistically consistent across high 13.59 (± 1.39 g/dl) and low 13.39 (± 1.65 g/dl) maize-intensity clusters (P > 0.05). Women's ownership of livestock (β, 0.13; 95% CI: 0.01, 1.12), chicken production (β, 0.21; 95% CI: 0.34, 1.01), and women's parity (β, 0.67; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.61) significantly increased hemoglobin concentration levels (P < 0.05). Conversely, gravidity (β, -0.82; 95% CI: -0.65, -0.21) and the frequency of abortions (β, -0.23; 95% CI: 0.31, 1.06) significantly decreased hemoglobin concentration levels (P < 0.05). Conclusion : Regardless of maize production intensity, women's reproductive characteristics and livestock farming (especially chicken production) were identified as independent predictors of hemoglobin levels. Therefore, promoting women's reproductive health care and livestock-based agricultural practices could enhance the health status of agrarian women in low-income settings.