Ferritin levels in pregnant Colombian women

Objective: Ferritin deficiency is associated with many adverse health outcomes and is highly prevalent worldwide. The present study assesses the prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with ferritin deficiency in a representative sample of pregnant women in Colombia. Methods: We used data from the cross-sectional, nationally representative survey National Nutritional Survey (ENSIN, 2010). A total of 1,386, (13-49 years old) pregnant women were enrolled. Serum ferritin a concentration was determined by chemiluminescence and sociodemographic date (age, urbanicity geographic region, ethnicity and socioeconomic level-SISBEN), was assessed by computer-assisted personal interview technology. Multivariate analyses using unordered binomial logistic regression models were conducted in the main analysis. Results: The overall prevalence of ferritin deficiency (serum <12 mu g/L) was 37.2% (95% CI 35.0% to 39.2%). The multivariate logistic regression no shows associated with a probability of serum ferritin deficiencies. Conclusion: A significant prevalence of ferritin deficiency was found in our study population without an association with the studied sociodemographic factors.