Access to basic sanitation facilities reduces the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age in sub-saharan Africa

BMC Public Health

Research

Benamba Chanimbe¹  Daudi Yeboah²  Michael Boah²  Mary Rachael Kpordoxah³  Abdul-Nasir Issah⁴  Nura Shehu⁵  Ngozi Mabel Chukwu⁶  Abraham Bangamsi Mahama⁶ 

[1] Department for Programmes Effectiveness, World Vision International, Accra, Ghana;Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana;Department of Global and International Health, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana;Department of Health Services, Planning, Management, and Economics, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Policy, Tamale, Ghana;United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Maiduguri Field Office, Nigeria;United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Sokoto Field Office, Sokoto, Nigeria;

关键词: Sanitation;    Anaemia;    Reproductive women;    Determinants;    Sub-saharan Africa;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-023-16890-3

 received in 2023-04-19, accepted in 2023-10-04,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe prevalence (≈ 30%) of anaemia among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a significant concern. Additionally, less than half of households in the region have access to basic sanitation facilities, raising questions about the potential role of poor sanitation in increasing anaemia prevalence. To address this, we examined the relationship between access to basic sanitation facilities and the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age in SSA.MethodsThe study analysed cross-sectional household-level Demographic and Health Survey data from selected SSA countries. A total of 100,861 pregnant and non-pregnant women aged 15 to 49 from 27 countries were analysed. Access to basic sanitation and haemoglobin (Hb) levels were classified using WHO and UNICEF standards. To examine the link between access to basic sanitation facilities and the prevalence of anaemia, a multilevel regression analysis was conducted, which adjusted for country fixed-effects to ensure that the findings were not biassed by variations in country-level factors.ResultsNearly 37% (95% CI: 36.4, 37.9) of households had access to basic sanitation facilities, and 41% (95% CI: 40.8, 42.1) of women had Hb levels that indicated anaemia. Women with access to basic sanitation had a lower risk of anaemia than those without access (AOR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.93, 0.98, p < 0.01). Factors, including maternal age, education, marital status, breastfeeding, health insurance enrollment, and wealth group, were also associated with anaemia prevalence.ConclusionsAnaemia is a severe public health problem among women of reproductive age across all 27 SSA countries analysed, with nearly four in ten being affected. Access to basic sanitation facilities was associated with a reduced anaemia risk. However, only slightly over a third of households had access to such facilities. Further research is required to examine the underlying mechanisms and inform effective interventions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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