HB-301

Low hemoglobin level is the most common public health problem during pregnancy in developing countries including Ethiopia, which is affecting both mother and fetus. However, the determinants of anemia among pregnant women are not well studied.

To assess the determinates of hemoglobin among pregnant women in rural agro-pastoralist communities in the South Omo zone, Ethiopia

Community-based cross-sectional study was done in rural agro-pastoralist communities. A multistage stratified sampling technique was used to select 526 pregnant women. Data were collected by using structured questionnaires. Hemoglobin level was measured by using HemoCue ® Hb301. Data were analyzed by using a statistical package for the social science version 26. Descriptive (Mean, standard deviation, frequency, range), bivariate and multivariate analysis was carried out to check the association between lower hemoglobin levels and independent variables. The output is presented in tables and figures.

The mean (±SD) of hemoglobin concentration was 11.8 ± 1.7. The overall prevalence of anemia was 39.9% [95% CI: 35.5, 44.4], 19.4% (95% CI: 16.0, 23.2) was mild, 19.6% (95% CI: 16.27, 2.5) was moderate and 0.9% (95% CI: 0.25, 2.25) was severe anemia. Not taking IFA (AOR = 5.7(3.3, 9.8)), severe under nutrition (AOR = 8.9(2.1, 37.3)), no fish food (AOR = 2.4(1.3, 4.5)), drinking coffee (AOR = 1.6(1.0, 2.6)), moderate food insecurity (AOR = 2.5(1.4, 4.6)), and no malaria infection (AOR = 0.6(0.4, 0.9)) were statistically significant with anemia.

The anaemia is a public health problem in this study area. Therefore, nutrition education and counselling to enhance iron supplementation, dietary diversity and a flesh diets are very essential to enhance haemoglobin levels.

In field studies, hemoglobin (Hb) is often measured using a battery-operated, portable HemoCue® hemoglobinometer.

We compared the performance of 2 HemoCue® models (Hb-201+ and Hb-301) and investigated effects of preanalytical factors on Hb results by simulating unfavorable field conditions.

The Hb-301 produced 2.6% higher results compared to the Hb-201+. Hb had to be measured within 1min of filling the Hb-301 cuvette to avoid artificially elevated concentrations (1.3% per min). The Hb-301 cuvettes withstood elevated temperature (37°C) and humidity (72%) for 3weeks, while the Hb-201+ cuvettes degraded within 10min under those conditions. Both cuvette types withstood elevated temperature for 3weeks. Properly-collected venous and capillary blood produced comparable results. Pooled capillary blood produced comparable results to the second and third but not the fourth drop of blood (3.3% lower). Blood could be stored for ≤4days at 10-30°C before Hb-201+ measurement, but only for 1day at 10-23°C before Hb-301 measurement (≤1% change in Hb).

Higher Hb results obtained with the Hb-301 may influence the interpretation of anemia prevalence in health surveys. While the Hb-301 performed better in high humidity conditions, the Hb-201+ provided more user flexibility regarding delayed Hb reading.