Factors Associated with Anemia among Pregnant Women of Underprivileged Ethnic Groups Attending Antenatal Care at Provincial Level Hospital of Province 2, Nepal

Table 5

Association of anemia status with various characteristics.

Sociodemographic characteristics, preventive health practices, and dietary diversity status	Anemic no. (%) (n = 192)	Nonanemic no. (%) (n = 95)	value
Age group
≤19	45 (23.4)	19 (20.0)	0.297
20–24	82 (42.7)	49 (51.6)
25–29	44 (22.9)	22 (23.2)
≥30	21 (10.9)	5 (5.3)
Ethnicity
Terai Dalit/Janajati/Muslim	86 (44.8)	15 (14.7)	<0.001^a
Madhesi	106 (55.2)	81 (85.3)
Religion
Hindu	167 (87.0)	92 (96.8)	0.008
Muslim	25 (13.0)	3 (3.2)
Educational status
Below secondary level	160 (83.3)	49 (51.6)	<0.001^a
Secondary level and above	32 (16.7)	46 (48.4)
Family type
Nuclear	34 (17.7)	19 (20.0)	0.638
Joint/extended	158 (82.3)	76 (80.0)
Occupational status
Homemaker	177 (92.2)	81 (85.3)	0.067
Employed (job, business, and labor)	15 (7.8)	14 (14.7)
Place of residence
Urban	135 (70.3)	16 (16.8)	0.019
Rural	57 (29.7)	79 (83.2)
Pregnancy trimester at interview
Second	85 (44.3)	34 (35.8)	0.127
Third	107 (55.7)	61 (64.2)
Gravida
Multigravida	114 (59.4)	40 (45.0)	0.006^a
Primigravida	78 (40.6)	55 (57.9)
Birth interval (n = 154)
≤2 years	88 (77.2)	25 (62.5)	0.70
>2 years	26 (22.8)	15 (37.5)
History of miscarriage/abortion
No	175 (91.1)	89 (89.5)	0.648
Yes	17 (8.9)	11 (10.5)
Number of antenatal visits
<4 times	153 (79.7)	53 (55.8)	<0.001^a
≥4 times	39 (20.3)	42 (44.2)
Consumption of iron-folic acid
Yes	163 (84.9)	89 (93.7)	0.032^a
No	29 (15.1)	6 (6.3)
Consumption of deworming medicine
Yes	146 (76.0)	88 (92.6)	0.001^a
No	46 (24.0)	7 (7.4)
Food avoidance during pregnancy
Yes	31 (16.1)	14 (14.7)	0.757
No	161 (83.9)	81 (85.3)
Dietary diversity
Inadequate	80 (41.7)	8 (8.4)	<0.001^a
Adequate	112 (58.3)	87 (91.6)

^aStatistically significant at .