ARIMA FORECASTING OF THE PREVALENCE OF ANEMIA AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN GHANA

Abstract

Anemia is the most common hematological disorder; that can occur in women. In pregnancy, anemia is usually a result of iron deficiency and sometimes a result of folic acid deficiency, amongst other causes. Using annual time series data on the prevalence of anemia among pregnant women in Ghana from 1990 – 2018, the study attempts to make forecasts for the period 2017 – 2025. The research applies the Box-Jenkins ARIMA methodology. The diagnostic ADF tests show that the AG series under consideration is an I (2) variable. Based on the AIC, the study presents the ARIMA (1, 2, 0) model as the optimal model.