Spatial and social factors drive anemia in Congolese women

Anemia is common in women of child-bearing age in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As part of the 2007 DRC Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), 4638 women of childbearing age (including 526 pregnant women) were tested for HIV and had the hemoglobin content of their blood recorded. We used the leftover dried blood spots to assess malaria prevalence using PCR assays. The DHS provided extensive information on individuals, as well as the geographic coordinates of household clusters which enabled us to derive several variables that characterize the spatial context of these clusters. Multilevel analyses were conducted to determine individual and contextual risk factors for anemia. Prevalence varied geographically; the odds of anemia were associated with both one′s ethnic group and the amount and type of nearby agriculture. The odds were not affected by HIV or malaria status.