[Anemia prevalence and associated factors among adult women in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil].
Fabian, Cristina;
Olinto, Maria Teresa Anselmo;
Dias-da-Costa, Juvenal Soares;
Bairros, Fernanda;
Nácul, Luis Carlos;
(2007)
[Anemia prevalence and associated factors among adult women in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil].
Cadernos de saude publica, 23 (5).
pp. 1199-1205.
ISSN 0102-311X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-311x2007000500021
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A cross-sectional population-based study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of anemia and associated factors in adult women. A representative sample was selected with 312 women aged 20 to 60 in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The bivariate analyses included the chi-squared test, prevalence ratios, and 95% confidence intervals. Poisson regression was used to adjust effects in the multivariate analyses. Anemia prevalence was 19.2% (95%CI: 14.8-23.6) for all women in the sample. The highest prevalence was in black women (54%). After controlling for confounding factors, the risk of anemia in black women was three times that of whites (PR = 3.17; 95%CI: 1.85-5.41; p < 0.001). A protective effect against anemia (PR = 0.44; 95%CI: 0.19-1.07; p = 0.07) was found in women over 50 as compared to younger women (20-29 years). These findings suggest the need for public health policies for anemia prevention in black women.