Abstract
Background: Anemia is a global health problem especially affecting pregnant and non-pregnant women. Among many different causes of anemia, iron deficiency anemia is the most common cause. Hemoglobin concentration measurement is among the most commonly performed blood tests, usually as part of a complete blood count.
Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Rafha Central Hospital and three associated health centers. Pregnant and none pregnant women (400) were included in the study. The data were collected by using questionnaire prepared by the investigator in Arabic language. Informed consents were taken prior to taking data from each participant.
Results: Out of the 400 women enrolled in this study, 235 were pregnant. Majority of the participants were married (86%), and 45% were university graduates. Most of the participants (77.25%) were in the anemic range. The prevalence of anemia was almost equally distributed among pregnant (75.31%) and non-pregnant (80%) women. The prevalence of anemia was significantly associated with the use of tea, coffee and soft drinks.
Discussion and conclusion: Our results show much higher prevalence of anemia than reported by many other studies done inside and outside of Saudi Arabia. We conclude that anemia prevalence in the region is quite large. People must adopt eating and drinking habits which positively affect the absorption of iron from the food and therefore, increase hemoglobin levels in the body.