ArticlePloS one2022
Interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in 21 sub-Saharan African countries: A fractional-polynomial analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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14 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pre-delivery anaemia and associated factors among women in Kikuube District, Uganda: a cross-sectional study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Article
- Article
- Mixed-methods exploration of knowledge about causes and prevention of anaemia in reproductive-aged women; a two-centre study.BMC women's health · 2025Article
- The optimal childbearing age and birth spacing in china: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Modifiable risk factors for anemia among women of childbearing age in sub-saharan Africa (2015-2023).BMC public health · 2025Article
- Inter-pregnancy interval and associated factors among parous women in neighboring low-land ecologies of arsi & east shoa zone, southeast Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2025Article
- Prevalence of Maternal Anemia in Southern Jordan: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study and 5-Year Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Risk factors of under-five and infant mortality: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Journal of global health · 2024Review
- Determinants of suboptimal birth spacing among reproductive-age women in Adama district, Ethiopia: a community-based unmatched case-control study.BMC women's health · 2024Article
- Trends, patterns and predictors of high-risk fertility behaviour among Indian women: evidence from National Family Health Survey.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Suboptimal birth spacing practice and its predictors among reproductive-age women in Sub-Saharan African countries: a multilevel mixed-effects modeling with robust Poisson regression.Reproductive health · 2023Article
- Article
- Breastfeeding and infant care as 'sexed' care work: reconsideration of the three Rs to enable women's rights, economic empowerment, nutrition and health.Frontiers in public health · 2023Review
- Malaria, Urogenital Schistosomiasis, and Anaemia in Pregnant Ghanaian Women.Journal of parasitology research · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMaternal anaemia is a global public health problem contributing to adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. In addition to other risk factors, interbirth interval has been identified as a potentially modifiable risk factor of maternal anaemia. However, the current evidence for the association between interbirth interval and maternal anaemia remains inconclusive. Hence, this study examined the association between the interbirth interval and maternal anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa.
methodsWe conducted a multinational cross-sectional study of interbirth interval (time between two singleton live births) and maternal anaemia (haemoglobin levels < 12 g/dl for non-pregnant women, < 11 g/dl for pregnant women) for 21 sub-Saharan African countries using the most recent nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys, 2010-2017. A weighted multivariable fractional polynomial function was used to estimate the non-linear relationship between interbirth interval and maternal anaemia, considering interbirth interval as a continuous variable and adjusting for potential confounders. Analyses were stratified by reproductive classification (non-pregnant and pregnant women).
resultsThere were 81,693 women included in the study (89.2% non-pregnant, 10.8% pregnant). Of all women, 32.2% were in their postpartum period. Overall, 36.9% of women had anaemia (36.0% of non-pregnant and 44.3% of pregnant women). Of the participants, 15% had a short interbirth interval (<24 months), and 16% had a long interbirth interval (≥ 60 months). We found that both short and longer interbirth intervals were associated with an increased risk of maternal anaemia in a dose-response fashion. Relatively a lower risk of maternal anaemia was observed between 24 and 40 months of interbirth intervals.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that both short and longer interbirth intervals were associated with an increased risk of maternal anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa.
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