| Access to basic sanitation facilities reduces the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age in sub-saharan Africa |
| Authors: |
Benamba Chanimbe, Abdul-Nasir Issah, Abraham Bangamsi Mahama, Daudi Yeboah, Mary Rachael Kpordoxah, Nura Shehu, Ngozi Mabel Chukwu, Michael Boah |
| Source: |
BMC Public Health, Volume 23, 2023; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16890-3 |
| Topic(s): |
Anemia
Sanitation
Women's health
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| Country: |
Africa
Multiple African Countries
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| Published: |
OCT 2023 |
| Abstract: |
Background
The prevalence (˜?30%) of anaemia among women of reproductive age in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is a significant concern. Additionally, less than half of households in the region have access to basic sanitation facilities, raising questions about the potential role of poor sanitation in increasing anaemia prevalence. To address this, we examined the relationship between access to basic sanitation facilities and the prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age in SSA.
Methods
The study analysed cross-sectional household-level Demographic and Health Survey data from selected SSA countries. A total of 100,861 pregnant and non-pregnant women aged 15 to 49 from 27 countries were analysed. Access to basic sanitation and haemoglobin (Hb) levels were classified using WHO and UNICEF standards. To examine the link between access to basic sanitation facilities and the prevalence of anaemia, a multilevel regression analysis was conducted, which adjusted for country fixed-effects to ensure that the findings were not biassed by variations in country-level factors.
Results
Nearly 37% (95% CI: 36.4, 37.9) of households had access to basic sanitation facilities, and 41% (95% CI: 40.8, 42.1) of women had Hb levels that indicated anaemia. Women with access to basic sanitation had a lower risk of anaemia than those without access (AOR?=?0.95; 95% CI: 0.93, 0.98, p?
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| Web: |
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-16890-3#citeas |
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