Anemia and its Associated Factors Among Women of Reproductive Age in Horticulture Area

Anemia continues to be an important and widespread public health problem, so it must be addressed. About 1.74 (1.72-1.76) billion people worldwide suffer from anemia, especially children under five, women of reproductive age (WRA), and pregnant women. As many as 500 million WRA suffer from anemia; this will impact the loss of productivity due to decreased work capacity, cognitive impairment, susceptibility to infections, and increased risk of complications in pregnancy and childbirth. This study analyzes the risk factors for anemia in women of reproductive age (15-59) who work in horticultural agriculture. The study was conducted with a cross-sectional design involving 160 participants from three main centers of horticultural agriculture in West Lampung Regency. SPSS was used for Chi-square analysis, Odds Ratio, and Logistic Regression (alpha = 0.05). The results showed that the prevalence of anemia in women of reproductive age who worked in horticultural agriculture was 27.5%. The study also identified three risk factors for anemia: poor nutritional status (AOR = 24.53; 95% CI 5.59-107.70), lack of protein intake (AOR = 28.01; 95% CI 6.97- 112.52), and less intake of high iron vegetables (AOR = 6.13; 95% CI 1.79-21.01). Nutritional interventions should emphasize increasing protein, iron, and vitamins through improved diet, fortification efforts, and iron supplementation.