Effects of deworming medication on anaemia among children aged 6–59 months in sub-Saharan Africa

Bauleni, Andy; Tiruneh, Fentanesh Nibret; Mwenyenkulu, Tisungane Edward; Nkoka, Owen; Chirwa, Gowokani Chijere; Gowelo, Steven; Chipeta, Michael G.; Ntenda, Peter Austin Morton

doi:10.1186/s13071-021-05123-4

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Consistent with other studies [ 36 – 38 ], children who were dewormed were less likely to be anaemic. Worms may compete for nutrients in the body including vitamin A and as a result induce chronic intestinal blood loss [ 36 , 37 ]. Therefore, deworming prevents any infections that cause of iron loss which prevents anemia.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Spatial variation and attributable risk factors of anaemia among young children in Uganda: Evidence from a nationally representative survey

Wasswa

Kananura

Muhanguzi³

et al. 2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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Anaemia continues to be a burden especially in developing countries that not only affects the physical growth and cognitive development of children but also increases their risk to death. Over the past decade, the prevalence of anaemia among Ugandan children has been unacceptably high. Despite this, spatial variation and attributable risk factors of anaemia are not well explored at national level. The study utilized the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) data with a weighted sample of 3805 children aged 6–59 months. Spatial analysis was performed using ArcGIS version 10.7 and SaTScan version 9.6. This was followed by a multilevel mixed-effects generalized linear model for the analysis of the risk factors. Estimates for population attributable risks (PAR) and fractions (PAF) were also provided using STATA version 17. In the results, intra-cluster correlation coefficient (ICC) indicates that 18% of the total variability of anaemia was due to communities within the different regions. Moran’s index further confirmed this clustering (Global Moran’s index = 0.17; p-value<0.001). The main hot spot areas of anaemia were Acholi, Teso, Busoga, West Nile, Lango and Karamoja sub-regions. Anaemia prevalence was highest among boy-child, the poor, mothers with no education as well as children who had fever. Results also showed that if all children were born to mothers with higher education or were staying in rich household, the prevalence would be reduced by 14% and 8% respectively. Also having no fever reduces anaemia by 8%. In conclusion, anaemia among young children is significantly clustered in the country with disparities noted across communities within different sub-regions. Policies targeting poverty alleviation, climate change or environment adaptation, food security as well interventions on malaria prevention will help to bridge a gap in the sub regional inequalities of anaemia prevalence.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Spatial variation and attributable risk factors of anaemia among young children in Uganda: Evidence from a nationally representative survey

Wasswa

Kananura

Muhanguzi³

et al. 2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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“…Additionally, the current study indicated that children who had not taken intestinal parasite deworming medicine in the previous 6 months were also at a higher risk of anaemia. This finding was consistent with the Bauleni et al finding [ 74 ], which examined the effects of deworming medication on anaemia among children aged 6–59 months in 17 SSA; showed that children who did not receive deworming medication had increased odds of being anaemic [ 74 ]. This may be due to the fact that intestinal parasites can cause anaemia [ 75 ], and treating intestinal parasites with deworming medication can reduce the risk of childhood anaemia.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Household environment associated with anaemia among children aged 6–59 months in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of Ethiopia demographic and health survey (2005–2016)

Sahiledengle,

Mwanri,

Agho

2024

BMC Public Health

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Background Anaemia continues to be a major public health challenge globally, including in Ethiopia. Previous studies have suggested that improved household environmental conditions may reduce anaemia prevalence; however, population-level evidence of this link is lacking in low-income countries. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between environmental factors and childhood anaemia in Ethiopia. Methods In this study, we conducted an analysis of the data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS), a nationally representative population-based survey conducted in Ethiopia between 2005 and 2016. The study included a total of 21,918 children aged 6–59 months. Children were considered anemic if their hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was less than 11.0 g/dl. To examine the association between environmental factors and anemia, we used multilevel mixed-effect models. These models allowed us to control for various confounding factors including: child, maternal, household and community-level variables. The study findings have been reported as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results The study found the overall prevalence of childhood anaemia to be 49.3% (95%CI: 48.7–49.9) between 2005 and 2016 in Ethiopia. The prevalence was 47.6% (95%CI: 46.1–49.1) in 2005, 42.8% (95%CI: 41.8–43.8) in 2011, and increased to 57.4% (95%CI: 56.3–58.4) in 2016. The pooled data showed that children from households practising open defecation were more likely to be anaemic (AOR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05–1.36). In our survey specify analysis, the odds of anaemia were higher among children from households practising open defecation (AOR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.12–1.58) in the EDHS-2011 and EDHS-2016 (AOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.13–1.90). In contrast, neither household water sources nor the time to obtain water was associated with anaemia after controlling for potential confounders. The other variables significantly associated with childhood anaemia include: the child’s age (6–35 months), not fully vaccinated (AOR: 1.14, 95%CI: 1.05–1.24), children not dewormed in the last 6 months (AOR: 1.11, 95%CI: 1.01–1.24), children born to mothers not working (AOR: 1.10, 95%CI: 1.02–1.19), children from poor households (AOR: 1.18: 95%CI: 1.06–1.31), and rural residence (AOR: 1.23, 95%CI: 1.06–1.42). Conclusion In Ethiopia, about fifty percent of children suffer from childhood anemia, making it a serious public health issue. Open defecation is a major contributing factor to this scourge. To address this issue effectively, it is recommended to strengthen initiatives aimed at eliminating open defecation that involve various approaches, including sanitation infrastructure development, behavior change campaigns, and policy interventions. In addition, to reduce the burden of anemia in children, a multi-faceted approach is necessary, involving both prevention and treatment strategies.

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“…Further, deworming medication was found to protect against anemia, likely due to its effect on soil-transmitted helminths that cause iron and protein loss [37]. This is consistent with studies from Sub-Saharan Africa and Bangladesh [38,39], but at odds with studies from Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Namibia [13,41]. To further enhance the reduction of childhood anemia, the Rwandan government and other stakeholders should strengthen existing interventions like deworming and vitamin A supplements by increasing country-wide coverage and compliance rate among children aged 6-23 months.…”

Section: Determinants Of Anemia In Children Aged 6-23 Monthssupporting

confidence: 78%

Prevalence and risk factors for childhood anemia in Rwanda: Using Rwandan demographic and health survey 2019–2020

Usanzineza,

Nsereko,

Niyitegeka

et al. 2024

Public Health Challenges

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IntroductionAnemia in children is a significant health issue globally, with developing countries, notably Africa, being disproportionately affected. This condition can result in detrimental and irreversible impacts on a child's neurological development. Despite its relevance, research on anemia prevalence and risk factors in Rwandan children aged 6–23 months is limited. Our study aimed to ascertain the prevalence and potential risk factors associated with anemia in this defined population.MethodsThis is a cross‐sectional study that used secondary data analysis on a weighed sample of 1247 children aged 6–23 months, sourced from the 2019–2020 Rwanda Demographic Health Survey. We used descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to identify the links between anemia and various factors.ResultsThe study revealed a high prevalence of anemia at 52.79%. Among anemic children aged 6–23 months, most (52.82%) had mild anemia, 46.12% had moderate anemia, and 1.06% had severe anemia. Key contributors to childhood anemia included maternal anemia (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.62, 95% confidence intervals (95% CI): [1.11, 2.33]) and history of coughing in the 2 weeks before the survey (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI: [1.12, 1.81]). Vitamin A supplementation and antiparasitic medication were identified as protective factors (AOR = 0.70, 95% CI: [0.50, 0.97]) and (AOR = 0.59, 95% CI: [0.45, 0.77]), respectively.ConclusionGiven the high anemia prevalence among Rwandan children aged 6–23 months, targeted public health interventions are critically needed. A comprehensive strategy throughout the health system is essential for reducing childhood anemia, involving measures such as addressing maternal anemia, managing childhood illnesses, and enhancing existing interventions like vitamin A supplementation and deworming.

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Effects of deworming medication on anaemia among children aged 6–59 months in sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 9 publications

References 45 publications

Spatial variation and attributable risk factors of anaemia among young children in Uganda: Evidence from a nationally representative survey

Spatial variation and attributable risk factors of anaemia among young children in Uganda: Evidence from a nationally representative survey

Household environment associated with anaemia among children aged 6–59 months in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of Ethiopia demographic and health survey (2005–2016)

Prevalence and risk factors for childhood anemia in Rwanda: Using Rwandan demographic and health survey 2019–2020

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