Association between maternal weight indicators and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among pregnant women in Selangor

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) during pregnancy is a prevalent public health concern, particularly in developing countries. The risk of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) during pregnancy is greatly influenced by the weight of the mother. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of IDA, to investigate the association between maternal weight indicators and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) risk and to identify its predictors among pregnant women in Selangor, Malaysia. The cross-sectional study involved 197 pregnant women, with data collected through questionnaires and medical records. The prevalence of IDA among the participants was found to be 35%, higher than the national range of 31.6% to 34.6%. Significant predictors of IDA included pre- pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, meat intake frequency, and pregnancy complications. The data obtained from this study were analyzed using SPSS version 29, including Chi-Square test, Fisher’s Exact Test, and Binary Logistic Regression to address the study's objectives. The results indicated that pre-pregnancy BMI was a significant predictor of IDA. Underweight women had a crude OR of 4.364 (95% CI: 1.470-12.965, p=0.007) and an adjusted OR of 4.023 (95% CI: 1.202-13.479, p=0.021), indicating a fourfold increase in IDA risk. Women with normal BMI also showed a significant association with IDA, with a crude OR of 2.622 (95% CI: 1.162- 5.931, p=0.020) and an adjusted OR of 2.722 (95% CI: 1.099-6.737, p=0.030). Women in the third trimester exhibited a trend towards higher IDA odds (crude OR=3.168, 95% CI: 1.000-10.035, p=0.052; adjusted OR=2.563, 95% CI: 0.749-8.765, p=0.143), though the association was not statistically significant. Meat intake frequency, initially showing a crude OR of 0.478 (95% CI: 0.219-1.043, p=0.065), became non-significant after adjustment (adjusted OR=0.499, 95% CI: 0.228-1.090, p=0.127). The presence of pregnancy complications indicated a crude OR of 0.000 (95% CI: undefined, p=0.999), reflecting the protective effect of the absence of complications. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring maternal nutrition status and gestational progression to mitigate the risk of IDA during pregnancy.