Cadernos de Saúde Pública (May 2007)
Prevalência de anemia e fatores associados em mulheres adultas residentes em São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil Anemia prevalence and associated factors among adult women in São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Abstract
Com o objetivo de estudar a prevalência de anemia (hemoglobina 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.
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