Trend and determinants of anaemia among reproductive-age women in Tanzania (2004/05-2022): a modified poisson regression analysis of demographic and health survey

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Globally, approximately 30% of women of reproductive age are affected by anaemia. Anaemia is of major public health concern due to its strong association with increased morbidity and mortality among women of reproductive age. This study aimed to examine the trends and factors influencing anaemia among women of childbearing age in Tanzania. METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys collected between 2004/05, 2010, 2015/16, and 2022. The study included 40,632 women of reproductive age who were selected for haemoglobin measurements. Two stage sampling was used to select survey participants. A modified Poisson regression model was used to identify factors associated with anaemia. Adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were calculated to estimate the strength of the association. RESULTS: The overall pooled prevalence of anaemia was 44.0% (95% CI: 43.0-44.9) among women of reproductive age. Among these women, 29.2% (95% CI: 28.4-29.9) had mild anaemia, 13.4% (95% CI: 12.9-13.9) had moderate anaemia, and 1.4% (95% CI: 1.3-1.6) had severe anaemia. Looking at the trend over time, the prevalence of anaemia was 48.4% in 2004/05 (95% CI: 46.2-50.5), 40.1% in 2010 (95% CI: 38.4-41.9), 44.8% in 2015/16 (95% CI: 43.4-46.4), and 41.5% in 2022 (95% CI: 39.8-43.3). CONCLUSION: The findings demonstrate anaemia as both a clinical and public health challenge, requiring multi-sectoral approaches. The persistent associations across demographic, socioeconomic, and reproductive domains suggest that singular interventions are unlikely to address this prevalence sufficiently. Reducing the burden of anaemia will require coordinated efforts across clinical care, public health programming, and social policy to address both immediate nutritional needs and underlying determinants.