Prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women among rural population of Kurhani block, Muzaffarpur district Bihar: A cross-sectional Primary Health Center based study

Anaemia is a major public problem which is a matter of great concern for developing countries. In India, about 63% of women of aged between15 to 49 years are anaemic. Anaemia has severe consequences on the growing child and pregnant women. In this study, pregnant women in the age range 18- 45 years who consulted the Kurhani PHC of Muzaffarpur district for regular antenatal check-up were recruited. The participants were grouped on the basis of age. The blood samples from the recruited subjects were collected and a complete blood profile was done. The median age of the pregnant women participants was 25 years. Among 345 participants, 95% of the participants were of the age group 18 - 30 years. A total of 156 (45%) pregnant women were found anaemic with 72 (20.03%) having mild anaemia, 76 (22.87%) with moderate anaemia and 8 (2.31%) were severely anaemic. The findings from this study reveal the status of anaemia among the pregnant women of the local population; which will be used to design further epidemiological studies, and will pave the ways to explore the various aspects of anaemia in pregnancy; thus contribute to fulfill the mandate of the setup of Model Rural Health Research Unit at Kurhani-Muzaffarpur, Bihar.