Household air pollutant exposure and anemia prevalence among pregnant women in five countries of the West African Region

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the relationship between household air pollutant exposure and the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in five West African countries. Methods: This cross-sectional secondary analysis used data of 3292 pregnant women aged 15–49 from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in West Africa. Anemia was the primary outcome variable. Household air pollution (HAP) exposure was categorized according to cooking fuel type (low, medium, or high polluting), and it included household tobacco smoke. Stata 17 was used for data cleaning and analyses. The analyses included frequency and percentage calculations, χ2-tests, and logistic regression. Crude odds ratio (cORs) and adjusted odds ratios (aORs), along with prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported, with statistical significance set at 0.05. Results: The prevalence rate of anemia among the pregnant women was 54.59% (n = 1797/3292). Factors significantly related to anemia levels included country (P < 0.001), religion (P < 0.001), marital status (P = 0.016), and education (P < 0.05). Lower household wealth (P < 0.001), lack of electricity (P < 0.001), and unemployment (P < 0.001) were significantly related to higher anemia rates. Significant associations were observed between HAP and anemia in Ghana and Nigeria, with environmental and geographic factors also influencing the risk. Women in Ghana (aOR = 1.92; 95% CI: 1.42–2.56; P < 0.01) and Nigeria (aOR = 3.11; 95% CI: 2.48–3.91; P < 0.01) had higher odds of anemia compared to Cameroon, as did women in their second trimester (aOR = 2.26; 95% CI: 1.89–2.70; P < 0.001) and third trimester (aOR = 2.04; 95% CI: 1.69–2.45; P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in West Africa and its association with demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental factors, thus highlighting the need for targeted interventions.