Mother & child: The social causes behind blood disorders

Report shows that anaemia is common among pregnant women and newborns.


Shamsul Islam April 24, 2011

FAISALABAD:


A recent study conducted by sociologists and doctors in the district, details how the low concentration of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) is contributing to a number of health problems among women.


RBC deficiency has been deemed one of the chief causes for fatigue and strain on bodily organs. A recent study on the “Socio-cultural factors causing anaemia and its effects on mother and child health in the rural areas of Faisalabad,” conducted by Dr Muhammad Iqbal Zafar and sociologist Zahira Batool states “anaemia is a blood condition in which there is a deficiency of red blood cells or of red blood cells in haemoglobin, resulting in poor overall health. Common reasons for the ailment include lack of iron, heavy blood loss and the production of too few RBCs due to stress and other disorders.”

The study pointed out that “Children under the age of five years fell under 18 per cent of the population and 45-60 per cent of these children were anaemic due to a poor diet. Maternal morality rates range from 350 to 400 for every 100,000 births.”

“The major reasons of high maternal mortality have been identified as malnutrition, severe anaemia, poor access to prenatal care and dearth of trained attendants at birth,” said Batool. The study also identifies that infants with a low birth weight account for 19 per cent of the total births. Health care requirements are expected to grow with respect to the 2025 projection for ages 15 to 49, which is expected to increase to 121 million, almost double the 2005 estimate. One child out of three suffers from malnutrition and anaemia and approximately half of the children under the age of five are anaemic. “Seventy per cent of all deaths of children under the age of five are attributed to food deficiencies,” Zafar said, “this a very disturbing statistic. It essentially means that anaemia and red blood cell deficiency is one of the leading causes of the death of children in this country.

The poor health status of Pakistan’s population in general - and children in specific – poses a great challenge for policy makers, health practitioners, NGOs and researchers. In developing countries, like Pakistan, prevalence of anaemia in mothers means anaemia in newborns. “It is hard to treat women for anaemia when they come in for delivery because they have been malnourished for months if not years.

Thereby we can seldom prevent the child being born with the same condition,” Dr Haroon, who works in the Obstetrics wing of the Faisalabad DHQ Hospital, said. The study also indicated the importance of socio-cultural factors which play a curial role in explaining anaemic status of mothers in children.

“Anaemia in mothers and children is significantly associated with socioeconomic levels, education and exercise habits.

The condition is mostly prevalent in the poorer segments of society, where malnourishment is increasingly common,” Batool said. Long standing cultural values in terms of attitude towards health facilities, gender bias, violence against women, smoking and breastfeeding have the demonstrable effect in increasing the symptoms of anaemia and the haemoglobin levels of mothers and their children.

The study also revealed that battered women showed high levels of stress-related illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks, depression, sleeping and eating disturbances, elevated blood pressure, drug abuse and low self-esteem. Violence against mothers by their husbands or other family members often led to anaemia and blood cell count deficiencies. Demographic variables have also revealed an inverse causal relationship with anaemia and its impact on mother-child health. The study reveals that one of the most important contributing demographic factors included age at marriage of the mother, number of pregnancies, pre and postnatal care, blood loss during abortion and communicable diseases.

“The healthcare system needs to be structured to meet the specific needs of newborn children and mothers. Almost 25 percent women from the data had undergone at least one abortion and suffered heavy blood loss, resulting in severe anaemia,” Dr Zafar said.

“The fact of the matter is that most women in this country who suffer from this disorder are poor and have several children. These women are malnourished and multiple pregnancies increase the chances of children developing these complications,” Batool said. “The solution is for health experts and family planning groups to spread awareness and encourage the use of contraception. Population increase, poverty, stress, violence...all these factors exacerbate anaemia and red blood cell deficiency. It is no wonder that most of the patients suffering from such ailments come from poorer communities,” she added.

Sociologists also asked the government to provide 24-hour services in BHU for birth delivery purposes. In order to utilise the facility provided by the government, children should be not registered without having a birth certificate issued by BHUs/hospitals. Laws should be structured to ensure the registration and public health information should be aired by the media.

Hukkah culture and malnutrition

Several women in villages were found to be regular smokers and many smoked the Hukkah during their pregnancy.  “Smoking the Hukkah during pregnancy is a major contributing factor to anaemia and decreases haemoglobin levels.

“At least 30 percent of the women we interviewed were suffering from anaemia because they were regular smokers,” Batool said. Study also shows that passive smoking from the mother is strongly associated with low haemoglobin levels in children under the age of five years.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2011.

COMMENTS (5)

Dr.Azhar Iqbal Sabri | 12 years ago | Reply Great research on child and mother. Long live sir.
M. Usman Zafar | 12 years ago | Reply The empirical analysis of mother and child health status provides au non-spurious correlates will be helpful in framing policies to address the growing problems of mothers and children in developing societies.
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