Introduction
Hemoglobin plays a vital role during pregnancy as it is a protein responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and transporting carbon dioxide back to the lungs for exhalation. During pregnancy, the demand for oxygen increases due to the growing fetus and the changes in the mother’s body. The dataset in this project presents findings from the 2018 Health and Demographic Survey on the disparities of hemoglobin level among pregnant women aged 15 - 49 years across different regions in Nigeria.
Demographic Information
The demographic information of pregnant women used in this project
include: age, education level,
geopolitical region, and residential area.
These variables were used to contextualize the disparities in social
determinants of health and its correlation with hemoglobin level (g/dl)
among pregnant women. Below is a brief data summary of the total number
of women (n = 4191) and percentage of pregnant women residing in urban
and rural areas (33% vs 67%), followed by a graphical representation of
their education level.
Data summary of pregnant women
| Residential Area | n | Pregnant women | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban | 4191 | 1371 | 33% |
| Rural | 4191 | 2820 | 67% |
Descriptive statistics of variables
The descriptive statistics provides a clear overview of the measures
of central tendency, including the mean age) and
mean hemoglobin_level in rural and urban areas.In addition,
the line graph and scatter plots below shows the distribution of
hemoglobin (g/dl) among pregnant women in relation to altitude (m) and
duration of pregnancy.
Mean data of variables
| Residential Area | Mean Age | Mean Hemoglobin |
|---|---|---|
| Urban | 28.35 | 67.44 |
| Rural | 27.03 | 64.24 |
Here is a graphical representation of age and sample size of pregnant women across different geopolitical regions and residential areas (rural and urban). Based on this dataset, age, altitude and pregnancy duration all influenced hemoglobin level, with slight differences in urban and rural areas. In fig 2c, the percentage of hemoglobin in pregnant women living in urban and rural areas was 28.9% vs 33.9%.
The line plot below shows a positive correlation between age and hemoglobin level, with a mean correlation value of +1. i.e as age increases (15 - 49 years), the hemoglobin level also increases. While the scatter plots offer an insight into the trends and patterns of hemoglobin level in relation to duration of pregnancy (in months) and altitude level (in meters).
Box plot visualization
The box plot here shows a graphical representation of the distribution of hemoglobin in rural and urban areas. It provides a summary of the central tendency, spread, and skewness of the data.
Conclusion
The analysis from this project shows a critical relationship between hemoglobin level and social determinants of health among pregnant women in different geographic contexts. However, a comprehensive evaluation is required to demonstrate the influence of other confounding factors capable of altering the stability of hemoglobin in relation to maternal and reproductive health.