Objective: To estimate various determinants of anemia among the pregnant women in the Karnataka state. The study examines differences in anemia incidence related to socio-economic, demographic and nutritional status. It is hypothesized that significant differences exist between Hyderabad Karnataka and the rest of the state in the incidence of anemia.
Methods: The National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4) provides district level cross sectional survey data on women’s socioeconomic status, maternity care, nutritional status, haemoglobin status, household and individual status. The study uses regression analysis to identify determinants of anemia among pregnant women. Hyderabad Karnataka Region and rest of the Karnataka state, a south Indian state.
Results: Our model indicates that the factors such as literacy of women, antenatal care, receiving postnatal care are significantly negative associations with incidence of anemia, while higher level of poverty, obesity (BMI≥25.0kg) and lower educational levels are positively associated with incidence of anemia. Other socio- economic factors such as consumption of alcohol, social background (SC/ST), other comorbid factors such as hypertension were not found to be significantly correlated in this study.