Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractionalpolynomial analysis
Background Maternal anaemia is a global public health problem contributing to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. In addition to other risk factors, interbirth interval has been identified as a potentially modifiable risk factor of maternal anaemia. However, the current evidence for the associa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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2022
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89482 |
| _version_ | 1848765229174882304 |
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| author | Mruts, Kalayu Brhane Gebremedhin, Amanuel Tessema, Gizachew Scott, Jane Pereira, Gavin |
| author_facet | Mruts, Kalayu Brhane Gebremedhin, Amanuel Tessema, Gizachew Scott, Jane Pereira, Gavin |
| author_sort | Mruts, Kalayu Brhane |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background Maternal anaemia is a global public health problem contributing to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. In addition to other risk factors, interbirth interval has been identified as a potentially modifiable risk factor of maternal anaemia. However, the current evidence for the association between interbirth interval and maternal anaemia remains inconclusive. Hence, this study examined the association between the interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods We conducted a multinational cross-sectional study of interbirth interval (time between two singleton live births) and maternal anaemia (haemoglobin levels < 12 g/dl for non-pregnant women, < 11 g/dl for pregnant women) for 21 sub-Saharan African countries using the most recent nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys, 2010-2017. A weighted multivariable fractional polynomial function was used to estimate the non-linear relationship between interbirth interval and maternal anaemia, considering interbirth interval as a continuous variable and adjusting for potential confounders. Analyses were stratified by reproductive classification (non-pregnant and pregnant women). Results There were 81,693 women included in the study (89.2% non-pregnant, 10.8% pregnant). Of all women, 32.2% were in their postpartum period. Overall, 36.9% of women had anaemia (36.0% of non-pregnant and 44.3% of pregnant women). Of the participants, 15% had a short interbirth interval (<24 months), and 16% had a long interbirth interval (≥ 60 months). We found that both short and longer interbirth intervals were associated with an increased risk of maternal anaemia in a dose-response fashion. Relatively a lower risk of maternal anaemia was observed between 24 and 40 months of interbirth intervals. Conclusions Our findings suggest that both short and longer interbirth intervals were associated with an increased risk of maternal anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:31:56Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-89482 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:31:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-894822022-10-31T03:19:52Z Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractionalpolynomial analysis Mruts, Kalayu Brhane Gebremedhin, Amanuel Tessema, Gizachew Scott, Jane Pereira, Gavin Africa South of the Sahara Anemia Birth Intervals Cross-Sectional Studies Female Hemoglobins Humans Pregnancy Pregnant Women Background Maternal anaemia is a global public health problem contributing to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. In addition to other risk factors, interbirth interval has been identified as a potentially modifiable risk factor of maternal anaemia. However, the current evidence for the association between interbirth interval and maternal anaemia remains inconclusive. Hence, this study examined the association between the interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods We conducted a multinational cross-sectional study of interbirth interval (time between two singleton live births) and maternal anaemia (haemoglobin levels < 12 g/dl for non-pregnant women, < 11 g/dl for pregnant women) for 21 sub-Saharan African countries using the most recent nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys, 2010-2017. A weighted multivariable fractional polynomial function was used to estimate the non-linear relationship between interbirth interval and maternal anaemia, considering interbirth interval as a continuous variable and adjusting for potential confounders. Analyses were stratified by reproductive classification (non-pregnant and pregnant women). Results There were 81,693 women included in the study (89.2% non-pregnant, 10.8% pregnant). Of all women, 32.2% were in their postpartum period. Overall, 36.9% of women had anaemia (36.0% of non-pregnant and 44.3% of pregnant women). Of the participants, 15% had a short interbirth interval (<24 months), and 16% had a long interbirth interval (≥ 60 months). We found that both short and longer interbirth intervals were associated with an increased risk of maternal anaemia in a dose-response fashion. Relatively a lower risk of maternal anaemia was observed between 24 and 40 months of interbirth intervals. Conclusions Our findings suggest that both short and longer interbirth intervals were associated with an increased risk of maternal anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. 2022 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89482 10.1371/journal.pone.0275155 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Africa South of the Sahara Anemia Birth Intervals Cross-Sectional Studies Female Hemoglobins Humans Pregnancy Pregnant Women Mruts, Kalayu Brhane Gebremedhin, Amanuel Tessema, Gizachew Scott, Jane Pereira, Gavin Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractionalpolynomial analysis |
| title | Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractionalpolynomial analysis |
| title_full | Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractionalpolynomial analysis |
| title_fullStr | Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractionalpolynomial analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractionalpolynomial analysis |
| title_short | Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractionalpolynomial analysis |
| title_sort | interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-saharan african countries: a fractionalpolynomial analysis |
| topic | Africa South of the Sahara Anemia Birth Intervals Cross-Sectional Studies Female Hemoglobins Humans Pregnancy Pregnant Women |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/89482 |