Anemia in preconception women in Sidemen Sub District Karangasem Regency Bali-Indonesia

Introduction. Iron deficiency anemia is still an important health issue related to its high prevalence and side effects, especially in pregnant women. In general, the incidence of anemia in pregnant women in Bali amounted to 46.2%. Currently, studies that focus on nutritional status including iron during preconception in Bali are still insufficient. This research aims to know the description of anemia in the preconception period. Methods. Cross-sectional studies were conducted on 163 preconception women. The sample is selected by the village cluster method. Each interview was conducted to obtain information about sociodemographic, anthropometric examination and hemoglobin level examination to measure the incidence of anemia. The data of the research were analyzed descriptively to get the description of the incidence of anemia and analytic analysis to obtain factors related to anemia through chi-square test. Results. The incidence of anemia in preconception women was 62.35%. The incidence of anemia in preconception women was more common in women with children <5 years of age, women with preconception ?average (31.84 years), low education level, unemployed preconception women, more than two parity, chronic energy deficiency status, and body mass index with the category of obesity. However, only differences in parity variables were statistically significant (p=0.012). Conclusions. The incidence of anemia in preconception women in high category and parity is associated with a high incidence of anemia. It is recommended that the number of children is limited to decrease the incidence of anemia. Keywords: anemia, preconception, pregnancy, parity