Efficacy of nutritional talks in the prevention of anemia in children (6 to 36 months of age) from a health center in Chiclayo, Peru

Abstract

Introduction: Prevention and control programs have been created due to the high prevalence of anemia in Peruvian children. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of nutritional talks in the reduction and prevention of anemia in boys and girls from 6 to 36 months of age. Methods: Longitudinal analytical study of retrospective cohorts. The sample included 78 children attended at a primary health care center. The information was extracted from a database generated by the center. The hemoglobin (Hb) level was recorded close to the date of the intervention and in subsequent controls ≥1 month. Results: 41 children (52.6%) participated in the nutritional talk, not observing significant differences with the group that did not participate. A higher frequency of anemia was observed in the group that did not participate in the nutritional talk (23%) compared to the group that did participate (0%), a significant difference was evidenced in the time between Hb evaluations (p<0.001). and the indication of micronutrients (p<0.001) for both groups. Despite this, there was no significant difference between the initial and final Hb values. Conclusion: Children whose parents participated in the nutrition talks had less anemia. This could suggest that nutritional talks are effective in preventing anemia.