Determinants of Anemia among Children Aged 6–59 Months in Ethiopia: Further Analysis of the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey

Abstract

Background. Anemia among children is a global public health problem. The burden is high in developing countries including Ethiopia. Although there are some studies about anemia among children, there is a dearth of information about factors associated with anemia in Ethiopia. Therefore, this analysis was performed to identify factors associated with anemia among children aged 6–59 months in Ethiopia. Methods. We used the 2016 Ethiopian Demography and Health Survey (EDHS) data. EDHS was a community-based, cross-sectional study conducted from January 18, 2016 to June 27, 2016. The 2016 EDHS selected the participants using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling technique. A total of 8,462 children aged 6–59 months were included for this analysis. Both descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed using Stata version14. A P value less than 0.05 at 95% confidence interval was set to test the statistical significance. Results. The analysis indicated that about 58% (95% CI: 55.1, 60.1) of children aged 6–59 months were anemic. Of those, 29.4% and 3.1% had moderate and severe anemia, respectively. The analysis revealed that stunted (AOR = 0.135, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.62) and underweight (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.55) children had higher odds of being anemic. Besides, children aged 6–23 months (AOR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.82), 24–42 months of age (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.51), and those with fever (AOR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.67) had higher odds of being anemic. Similarly, children from anemic mothers (AOR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.58, 2.18) and poor households (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.67) were at a higher risk of anemia. Children from households with large family sizes (AOR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.60), young mothers (15–24 years of age (AOR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.82) and 25–34 years of age (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.51)), and developing regions (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.02) also had higher odds of developing anemia. Conclusion. The overall prevalence of anemia among children aged 6–59 months in Ethiopia was high. Malnourished children (stunting and underweight); children with fever; children from anemic, uneducated, and young mothers; and children from large and poor families had higher odds to develop anemia. Therefore, preventing childhood illnesses and maternal anemia should be strengthened to reduce anemia among children.

Household Cooking Fuel Type and Child Anaemia in Sub-saharan Africa: Insights From Demographic and Health Surveys

“…had the lowest odds of being anemic. This is consistent with previous studies in Ethiopia (Asresie, Fekadu & Dagnew, 2020). It is possible that as mothers advance in age, they gain experiences with childcare and also, they are more likely to be exposed to education on appropriate practices on childhood nutrition compared with those who are adolescents.…”

“…Relatedly, we found that children in large households had higher odds of suffering from anaemia compared to those in small household. This nding con rms a previous study in Ethiopia (Asresie, Fekadu & Dagnew, 2020). Insu cient consumption of appropriate quantity of nutrients due to the high numbers in the households could possibly account for this observation as explained by Asresie, Fekadu and Dagnew, (2020).…”

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasite Infection and its Association with Anemia among Children Aged 6 to 59 Months in Sidama National Regional State, Southern Ethiopia

“…The findings of this study indicated that 48.8% of 6 to 59 months' age children were anemic and with this prevalence, anemia has severe public health significance in the study area. The result is lower than the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey (EDHS) report, 57%, 18 further analysis of the 2016 EDHS, 58%, 19 Gondar hospital, 58.6%, 20 Wag-Himra Zone, 66.6%, 21 and Tanzania, 77.2%. 22 The difference in prevalence in different parts of the country might be due to heterogeneity of the studied population, dietary habits, nutritional status, and incidence of worm infestation in defined geographical spots.…”

Household cooking fuel type and childhood anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa: analysis of cross-sectional surveys of 123, 186 children from 29 countries

“…This finding confirms a previous study in Ethiopia. 44 Insufficient consumption of appropriate quantity of nutrients due to the high numbers in the households could possibly account for this observation as explained by Asresie et al 44 The study also established that the socioeconomic status (education and wealth) of women had a statistically significant association with childhood anaemia. Specifically, it was found that children whose mothers are in the rich wealth status, as well as those with tertiary level of education, have lower odds of being anaemic.…”