Table 5.
Distribution of anemia severity and multinomial logistic regression showing crude ORs of risk factors for mild and moderate-to-severe anemia and respective p values in women
| Mild anemia | Moderate-to-severe anemia | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | No of women | Prevalence (%) | Crude OR (95% CI) | Prevalence (%) | Crude OR (95% CI) | P value1 |
| Residence | ||||||
| Rural (Karonga) | 7,111 | 12.0 | 7.5 | 1 | ||
| Urban (Lilongwe) | 7,867 | 13.5 | 1.17(1.07–1.29) | 9.8 | 1.37(1.22–1.54) | <0.001 |
| Age group (years) | ||||||
| 18–24 | 3,952 | 12.1 | 1 | 7.8 | 1 | |
| 25–34 | 4,983 | 12.7 | 1.06(0.94–-1.21) | 8.3 | 1.07(0.91–1.25) | |
| 35–44 | 2,844 | 14.5 | 1.31(1.13–1.51) | 11.7 | 1.61(1.37–1.90) | |
| 45–54 | 1,531 | 13.3 | 1.15(0.96–1.37) | 10.1 | 1.34(1.09–1.64) | |
| 55–64 | 912 | 11.1 | 0.87(0.70–1.10) | 4.9 | 0.60(0.43–0.83) | <0.001 |
| > 65 | 756 | 11.5 | 0.93(0.72–1.18) | 6.0 | 0.74(0.53–1.02) | |
| Smoking status | ||||||
| Never smoker | 14,917 | 12.7 | 1 | 8.7 | 1 | |
| Past | 36 | 11.1 | 0.80(0.28–2.26) | 2.8 | 0.29(0.04–2.14) | |
| Current | 25 | 28.0 | 2.70(1.11–6.57 | 8.0 | 1.13(0.26–4.92) | 0.17 |
| Alcohol use | ||||||
| No | 14,248 | 12.8 | 1 | 8.7 | 1 | |
| Light/irregular | 668 | 12.0 | 0.93(0.73–1.18) | 9.1 | 1.05(0.80–1.38) | |
| Moderate/heavy | 62 | 9.7 | 0.72(0.31–1.68) | 8.1 | 0.89(0.35–2.24) | 0.88 |
| Education level | ||||||
| No formal/illiterate | 1,699 | 11.8 | 1.02(0.87–1.21) | 8.4 | 1.07(0.88–1.30) | |
| Standard | 6,452 | 11.6 | 1 | 7.9 | 1 | |
| Secondary | 5,764 | 14.1 | 1.27(1.14–1.41) | 9.0 | 1.19(1.05–1.35) | <0.001 |
| Tertiary | 1,063 | 14.5 | 1.37(1.14–1.66) | 12.2 | 1.70(1.39–2.09) | |
| Occupation | ||||||
| Unemployed | 6,338 | 13.0 | 1 | 9.1 | 1 | 0.23 |
| Farming/Fishing | 4,765 | 12.0 | 0.89(0.80–1.00) | 7.2 | 0.77(0.67–0.89) | |
| Self-employed | 2,372 | 12.9 | 0.99(0.86–1.14) | 8.9 | 0.97(0.82–1.15) | |
| Salaried worker | 1,503 | 13.8 | 1.11(0.94–1.31) | 8.4 | 1.30(1.08–1.56) | <0.001 |
| Wealth quintile | ||||||
| 1st (lowest) | 2,742 | 12.0 | 1 | 7.4 | 1 | |
| 2nd | 3,192 | 12.4 | 1.03(0.88–1.21) | 7.2 | 0.97(0.79–1.18) | |
| 3rd | 2,874 | 12.2 | 1.03(0.88–1.21) | 8.7 | 1.18(0.98–1.44) | |
| 4th | 3,531 | 12.9 | 1.11(0.96–1.30) | 9.6 | 1.34(1.11–1.60) | |
| 5th (highest) | 2,557 | 14.2 | 1.27(1.08–1.49) | 10.6 | 1.53(1.27–1.86) | <0.001 |
| HIV/ART status | ||||||
| HIV negative | 10,990 | 11.7 | 1 | 6.8 | 1 | |
| HIV+ <5 years on ART | 650 | 18.6 | 1.98(1.60–2.44) | 16.0 | 2.92(2.33–3.67) | |
| HIV+ ≥5 years on ART | 340 | 13.8 | 1.34(0.98–1.85) | 14.7 | 2.46(1.80–3.36) | |
| HIV+ not on ART | 495 | 20.8 | 2.49(1.98–3.15) | 21.2 | 4.37(3.45–5.53) | |
| Unknown HIV status | 2,493 | 14.1 | 1.31(1.16–1.49) | 11.5 | 1.85(1.60–2.14) | |
| Pregnant | ||||||
| No | 14,211 | 12.2 | 1 | 8.5 | 1 | |
| Yes | 767 | 22.6 | 2.23(1.86–2.67) | 11.9 | 1.69(1.34–2.13) | |
| Parity | ||||||
| None | 1,860 | 14.0 | 1.28(1.09–1.50) | 12.2 | 1.70(1.42–2.03) | <0.001 |
| 1–2 | 4,369 | 11.9 | 1 | 7.8 | 1 | |
| 3–5 | 5,321 | 13.0 | 1.12(0.99–1.26) | 8.8 | 1.16(1.00–1.34) | |
| 6+ | 3,406 | 12.9 | 1.10(0.96–1.26) | 7.6 | 0.98(0.82–1.16) | <0.001 |
1 p values presented are from chi squared test for the univariate association of anemia levels (grouped as no, mild and moderate-to-severe anemia) with each explanatory variable in turn