Prevalence and Associated Factors of Anemia among Newborns at Jimma Medical Center, South-west Ethiopia.

Background: Newborn anemia is among the most common hematological problems and it can cause asymptomatic or severe to acute life-threatening events. It leads to impairment in brain maturation and development, tissue hypoxia, and stunted growth and then arrested growth if left untreated. The prevalence of anemia among newborns ranges from 23.4-66% in sub-Saharan Africa. But, there is limited information in Ethiopia regarding the prevalence of newborn anemia and its risk factors. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of newborn anemia and its associated factors at Jimma Medical Center (JMC), South-west Ethiopia.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was implemented from January 14 to February 28, 2021, involving 288 full-term newborns by employing consecutive convenient sampling technique for study participant selection. Socio-demographic data and other associated factors were collected through interviews and a review of medical records by a structured questionnaire. Three mL umbilical cord blood samples from each newborn were collected and analyzed for a complete blood count by an automated hematological analyzer. Data were entered into Epi Data version 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science version 20 for analysis. Binary logistic regression were used to identify the predictors of newborn anemia.

Results: The overall prevalence of anemia among newborns was 26.4%; of them, 65.8%, 25%, and 9.2% were mild, moderate, and severe anemia types, respectively. Maternal vegetable consumption habit (AOR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.62) and maternal anemia (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.69) were significantly associated with anemia in newborns.

Conclusion: In general, newborn anemia in this study was a moderate public health problem. Based on this study, early screening of anemia among newborns may reduce further complications. Prevention of maternal anemia during pregnancy by improving their nutritional status especially vegetable consumption had a positive impact on reducing anemia among newborns.