Anemia in Mexican women: results of two national probabilistic surveys.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of anemia in Mexican women and analyze its trends with information from the last two national nutrition surveys.

Material And Methods: The prevalence of anemia in women was analyzed. Anemia was adjusted by socioeconomic profile and by potentially explanatory variables.

Results: The overall prevalence of anemia for pregnant women was 20.2% (95% CI 15.9, 26.2%) and 15.5% for non-pregnant women (95% CI 14.7, 16.4%). The prevalence of anemia in women decreased from 1999 to 2006 in all socioeconomic profiles. Adolescent women living in the northern and in the southern regions had a greater risk of anemia than those in Mexico City (p= 0.05). Significant risk was found among low socioeconomic level (p< 0.06). Greater parity was a significant risk factor (p< 0.05) for being anemic.

Conclusions: Although anemia in reproductive age women in Mexico decreased, it continues to be a public health problem.