Prevalence of anaemia among married women with recent birth history and high-risk fertility behaviour: secondary data analysis of the National Family Health Survey-India (2019-21).

Abstract

To describe the prevalence of anaemia among currently married women with high-risk fertility behaviour (HRFB) based on age, parity and birth spacing indicators. Cross-sectional study. Fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) was conducted in India (2019-2021) and included a nationally representative sample of 724, 115 women in the reproductive age group (15-49). Our analysis focused exclusively on married women who had given birth in the preceding 5 years. The prevalence of anaemia with HRFB was the primary outcome, and the likelihood of having anaemia due to HRFB was the secondary outcome. Secondary data analysis of the NFHS-5 (2019-2021) datasets was done using a weighted analysis to determine anaemia prevalence in different HRFB categories. Bivariate analysis was done using the χ² test, and multiple binary logistic regression analyses were done to estimate the odds of having anaemia due to HRFB after adjusting for known confounders. A p value <0.05 was reported as statistically significant. The final analysis comprised 145,468 women, of whom 59.1% had anaemia. About 53.1% of women depicted 'No risk' fertility behaviour, and 34.6% and 12.3% had single and multiple HRFB. Women with 'no-risk,' single and multiple HRFB had anaemia prevalence rates of 58.1%, 59.4% and 63.1%, respectively. Women with 'Single risk' had an 18% higher likelihood (1.18; 1.13-1.22) of having anaemia after controlling for confounding variables, compared with the HRFB category with 'No risk.' Women with 'Multiple risks' showed a 6% higher likelihood (adjusted OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.08). Anaemia remains a prevalent issue in India, and HRFB is observed as a significant contributing factor. This vulnerable group can be targeted through multiple interventions and further our efforts to realise our anaemia-related goals.