AUTHOR=Abebe Gizaw Taddesse , Kure Mohammed Abdurke , Yadeta Tesfaye Assebe , Roba Kedir Teji , Amante Tariku Dingeta 

TITLE=Immediate postpartum anemia and associated factors among women admitted to maternity ward at public hospitals in Harari Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia: A facility-based cross-sectional study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Global Women's Health

VOLUME=Volume 3 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/global-womens-health/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.916245

DOI=10.3389/fgwh.2022.916245

ISSN=2673-5059

ABSTRACT=Background: Anemia in the postpartum period remains a considerable public health problem in developing countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. It is the most common indirect cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. It is also a major health problem in women of reproductive age that affects the quality of life, reduced occupational capacity, impaired lactation, and diminishes immune function. Although it has negative impacts, and extensive burdens on women’s quality of life, predictors of immediate postpartum anemia are not widely investigated in Ethiopia in general, and Harari Regional State in particular. Hence, we aimed to determine the magnitude, and factors contributing for immediate postpartum anemia in Eastern Ethiopia. 
Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2021 among 484 postpartum women admitted to public Hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia.  Data were collected using a pre-tested structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. About 2ml of blood samples was collected and analyzed using cell-Dyne 1800 machine. The collected data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.6 and analyzed using SPSS version 25. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the effect of independent variables on immediate postpartum anemia. Adjusted odds ratio(AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed to report the presence of the association.  Statistical significance was declared at a p-value of <0.05. 
  Results: The overall magnitude of immediate postpartum anemia was 28.1% [95% CI (23.7, 32.1)]. Lack of formal education [AOR: 3.92; 95% CI: (1.85, 8.33)], having antenatal care <4 visits [AOR: 3.18; 95% CI: (1.53, 6.61)],  history of cesarean delivery [AOR: 3.40; 95% CI: (1.89, 6.10)], history of maternal blood loss [AOR: 4.78; 95% CI: (2.22, 10.30)], pre-delivery Hgb level<11g/dl [AOR:5.46; 95%CI: (3.09,9.67)] and having no iron-folate supplementation [AOR:3.27; 95% CI: (1.31, 8.15)] were factors statistically associated with immediate postpartum anemia.  
Conclusions: In this study, about one-third of mothers admitted for postpartum care developed anemia within 48 hours after giving birth. Therefore, promoting the benefit of adequate antenatal care and iron-folate supplementation is very crucial to reducing the risks of postpartum anemia.