Prevalence and associated factors of anemia among pregnant women and the impact of clinical pharmacist counseling on their awareness level: A cross sectional study

Amal A El-Kholy; Eman A El Kholy; Majed Abdulaziz Al Abdulathim; Ahmed Hassan Abdou; Hala Ahmed Dafaalla Karar; Meimona Abdelrhim Bushara; Khaled Abdelaal; Rana Sayed

doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101699

Prevalence and associated factors of anemia among pregnant women and the impact of clinical pharmacist counseling on their awareness level: A cross sectional study

Saudi Pharm J. 2023 Aug;31(8):101699. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2023.101699. Epub 2023 Jul 11.

Authors

Amal A El-Kholy¹, Eman A El Kholy², Majed Abdulaziz Al Abdulathim³, Ahmed Hassan Abdou³, Hala Ahmed Dafaalla Karar⁴, Meimona Abdelrhim Bushara⁵, Khaled Abdelaal⁶, Rana Sayed¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
² Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Alazhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
³ Social Studies Department, College of Arts, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Quantitative Methods Department, Applied College, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Economics Department, Applied College, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ EPCRS Excellence Center, Plant Pathology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, 33516, Egypt.

Abstract

Anemia during pregnancy is a worldwide problem that affects females worldwide. There is not enough data on the magnitude of this health problem in Al-Madinah city in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors related to anemia during pregnancy in Al-Madinah city. In addition, assessed the impact of counseling by clinical pharmacist on anemic pregnant females. 300 pregnant females were assessed for anemia based on their hemoglobin level in a descriptive cross-sectional study. Those females were further interviewed to identify associating factors related to presence of anemia during pregnancy. Anemic females were randomized to receive either counseling by the clinical pharmacist in addition to the standard of care (interventional group) or standard of care without counseling (control group). Our result showed that 44% of pregnant women were anemic upon recruitment. Pregnant females of low socioeconomic status, those during the first trimester, multipara females, and those who did not receive nutritional education during pregnancy showed significantly higher odds of developing anemia. Clinical pharmacist-led counseling program significantly improved adherence with iron regimen (p-value < 0.01) and significantly increased patients' hemoglobin level 30-days after the intervention (p-value < 0.001).

Keywords: Anemia; Counseling; Hemoglobin; Iron; Pregnancy.