Abdul-Wahab Inusah, Temple Jagha, Michael G Head, Abdul-Aziz Seidu, Shamsu-Deen Ziblim
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Anemia remains a significant public health concern among women of reproductive age (WRA) in Ghana, contributing to adverse health and socioeconomic outcomes. Despite national nutrition and malaria control interventions, progress has been modest with persistent regional disparities. This study assessed national and regional trends in anemia prevalence among WRA from 2000 to 2019, quantified regional inequalities, and forecasted national prevalence to 2030 to measure progress toward global reduction targets.
Methods: Population-representative estimates of anemia among WRA were obtained from the WHO Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT) database. National and regional prevalence were analyzed using four inequality measures: difference (D), ratio (R), population attributable risk (PAR), and population attributable fraction (PAF). Time-series forecasting was conducted using an ARIMA (1, 1, 0) model to project prevalence from 2020 to 2030.
Results: Anemia prevalence among WRA declined modestly from 47.8% in 2000 to 44.3% in 2019, a 3.5%-point reduction. The Ashanti region recorded the greatest decline (43.3% to 37.3%), while the Upper West region observed the highest increase (41.0% to 45.2%). Regional inequalities widened from 2000 to 2019 across several measures: D (18.1 to 22.2), R (1.5 to 1.6), and PAF (- 16.2 to - 18.4). ARIMA forecasting suggests a plateauing effect, with national prevalence projected to reach 43.6% (95% CI: 40.4-46.9) by 2030.
Conclusion: The modest decline in prevalence, coupled with widening regional inequalities and a projected plateau through 2030, indicates that current progress is insufficient to achieve WHO global targets. Addressing these gaps requires geographically targeted, multi-sectoral interventions, such as improving food storage infrastructure and integrating malaria control with nutritional counseling, to accelerate progress and ensure equitable health outcomes for WRA across all regions of Ghana.
期刊介绍：
Reproductive Health focuses on all aspects of human reproduction. The journal includes sections dedicated to adolescent health, female fertility and midwifery and all content is open access.
Reproductive health is defined as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system, at all stages of life. Good reproductive health implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to do so. Men and women should be informed about and have access to safe, effective, affordable, and acceptable methods of family planning of their choice, and the right to appropriate health-care services that enable women to safely go through pregnancy and childbirth.
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