Prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy in Jima town, southwestern Ethiopia.

A prospective study of the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy among 279 first-time attendants of the antenatal care clinic at Jima Health Centre, Jima, Ethiopia was carried out from August 20 to December 15, 1991. The overall prevalence of anaemia was 41.9%, the rates being 56.8% and 35.9% for rural and urban residents respectively. The mean haemoglobin level was 10.9 gm/dl and 6.4 gm/dl for the whole group and anaemic women respectively. The majority (74.3%) had moderate anaemia; 2.5% had severe anaemia. The rate of anaemia was higher among the illiterate and in those who did not practice family planning of any sort and in the third trimester, and increased with parity.