Ajugwo et al Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences. 2023; 3(2):1-6 [1] AJDHS.COM Available online at ajdhs.com Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences Open Access to Dental and Medical Research Copyright © 2023 The Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided the original author and source are credited Prevalence of Anaemia and Associated Factors in Lactating Mothers Accessing Health Services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital, Bushenyi District Anslem Ajugwo 1,2 , Robert Unzi Opigo 2 and *Emmanuel Ifeanyi Obeagu 2 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Madonna University, Elele Campus, Rivers State, Nigeria 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Kampala International University, Uganda Article Info: _______________________________________ Article History: Received 24 March 2022 Reviewed 07 May 2023 Accepted 23 May 2023 Published 15 June 2023 _______________________________________ Cite this article as: Ajugwo A, Opigo RU, Obeagu EI, Prevalence of Anaemia and Associated Factors in Lactating Mothers Accessing Health Services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital, Bushenyi District, Asian Journal of Dental and Health Sciences. 2023; 3(2):1-6 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22270/ajdhs.v3i2.37 _______________________________________ *Address for Correspondence: Emmanuel Ifeanyi Obeagu, Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Kampala International University, Uganda. Email: emmanuelobeagu@yahoo.com Abstract ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The study was done to determine the prevalence of anaemia and its associated factors in lactating mothers accessing health services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital, Bushenyi district. A cross-sectional study design was used. Structured questionnaires were used to obtain socio-demographic, obstetric and other related anemia factors while blood samples were obtained for hemoglobin determination. Data obtained were entered into excel and exported to SPSS Version 25.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the factors associated with anaemia. The study results showed 11.7% prevalence of anaemia. Taking iron supplement during pregnancy was significantly associated with anaemia among lactating mothers. The prevalence of anaemia among lactating mothers accessing services at health services at Ishaka Adventist Hospital, Bushenyi district was low (11.7%).Taking iron supplement during pregnancy was significantly associated with anaemia among lactating mothers. Keywords: anaemia, lactating mothers, pregnancy, Ishaka Adventist Hospital INTRODUCTION Anaemia is the most common nutritional deficiency indicator and health status in the world affecting about one third of the global population 1-2 . Anaemia is never a diagnosis but occurs secondary to an underlying disease process. Technically, anaemia is defined as a state in which an individual’s haemoglobin concentration (red cell mass) falls two standard deviations below the reference intervals in particular population (individuals of similar age, gender and geographical location) resulting into decreased oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells to the tissues 3 . Globally, a study conducted in India among lactating mothers found out that the prevalence of anaemia was 66.0% 4 . A study in Myanmar reported an anaemia prevalence rate of 60.3% in lactating mothers, with 20.3% of lactating mothers having severe anaemia 3 . In Africa, studies conducted in Ethiopia in Lactating mothers from 2011-2015 found out that the prevalence was 22.1% 5 . Another study in Kenya concluded that lactating mothers whose haemoglobin levels were less than 12g/dL had prevalence of 43.8% 6 . Anaemia in lactating mother is common especially if the mother were anemic during their pregnancy. Lactating mothers are vulnerable to anaemia morbidity due to their susceptibility to iron depletion during pregnancy and lactation as well as due to bad consequences of blood loss during their childbirth 7-11 . Anaemia in lactating mother has various adverse effects like decreased immunity which in turn results in delayed wound healing, and increased susceptibility to infections such as mastitis, ductitis and urinary tract infection and diminished quality or volume of the breast milk. It has also associated with reduction of global household income, cognitive impairment, impaired quality of life, and emotional instability as well as postpartum depression 12 . These devastating impacts makeanaemiain lactating mothers to be one of the global health priority areas at the global level, especially in resource-limited areas 13 . Studies have shown that, although breast milk is not a good source of iron, the concentration of iron in breast milk is independent of maternal iron status. This indicates that the quality of breast milk is maintained at the expense of maternal stores. Postpartum anaemia is highest in mothers who are anemic during pregnancy 14 . Open Access Research Article