Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection and its association with anemia among pregnant women in Wondo Genet district, Southern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Background Previous studies reported contradicting findings about the association between intestinal parasitosis and maternal anemia. In this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection and its association with anemia among pregnant women in Wondo Genet district, Southern Ethiopia. Methods This facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in June and July 2018. Pregnant women (n=352) were randomly drawn from five health centers using antenatal care follow-up lists. Trained data collectors administered the questionnaire. Capillary blood was collected and analyzed for hemoglobin using the HemoCue method. Stool sample was collected following standard procedure and analyzed for the presence and types of intestinal parasites using direct microscopy with Formalin-ether concentration technique. Association between intestinal parasitosis and anemia was measured using multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. The outputs are presented using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was 38.7% (95% CI: 33.6-43.8%). One-tenth (9.7%) of the pregnant women were infected with polyparasites. Ascaris lumbricoides was the predominant infection encountered in 24.9% of the women. The other infections identified were: hookworms (11.2%), Giardia lamblia (5.4%), Entamoeba histolytica (3.4%), Trichuris trichiura (2.9%) and Schistosoma mansoni (2.3%). The mean ( standard deviation) hemoglobin concentration was 12.3 (+/- 1.9) g/dl and 31.5% (95% CI: 26.6-36.4%) women were anemic (hemoglobin <11g/dl). The prevalence of anemia among women infected with intestinal parasite (55.6%) was substantially higher than the prevalence in their counterparts (16.4%) (p<0.001). In a multivariable model adjusted for multiple potential confounders including socio-economic status indicators, the odds of anemia were six times increased (AOR=6.14, 95% CI: 2.04-18.45) among those affected by at least one intestinal parasite. Conclusion Strengthening the existing water, sanitation and hygiene programs and routine deworming of pregnant mothers may help to reduce the burden of both intestinal parasitic infection and anemia in pregnant women.