Prevalence and associated factors of anemia among women of childbearing age in the eastern region of Burkina Faso

Background : In Burkina Faso, anemia is a serious public health problem, with a prevalence well above the 40% threshold. We need to identify the factors associated with it in order to combat this scourge effectively. Objective : The objective of this study is to identify associated factors of anemia among women of childbearing age in the eastern region of Burkina Faso. Method : This was a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study. A validated and digitized questionnaire on the ODK data collection application was used to collect data from women of childbearing age in households by means of individual interviews. The ‘hemocue’ rapid diagnostic test was used to measure the level of hemoglobin in the blood of 614 women aged 15 to 49 years. The cutoff point for any anemia was a hemoglobin level of less than 11.0 g / dL in pregnant women and 12.0 g/dL in non-pregnant women. The chi-square test was used for bivariate analyzes and logistic regression for multivariate analyzes using the SPSS software. Results : The results show that 71.8% of women (pregnant or not) were anemic. The age and marital status of women and the use of iron/folic acid supplements had a statistically significant association with anemia in women of childbearing age. In fact, women living alone (single, divorced or widowed) are 5 times more likely (OR=5,155; CI=1,821-14,593; P=0,002) to be anemic than married women. Individual and household characteristics must be taken into account when designing policies and plans to address anemia.