Magnitude of anemia and associated factors among children aged 6–59 months at Debre Markos referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: a hospital-based cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Anemia, the most common micro-nutrient deficiency disorder, is the world’s second leading cause of morbidity and morbidity, affecting 24.8% of the population, of which 47.4% are under-five children. The prevalence of anemia ranges from 44 to 56% in Ethiopia. Although its magnitude has shown decreases across regions; it continues to be a significant public health problem, particularly in developing countries including Ethiopia. Despite this evidence, the magnitude and associated factors of anemia was not systematically explored and there is a limited information or limited evidences in the study area. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the magnitude and associated factors of anemia among children aged 6–59 months attending at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Debre Markos referral hospital Northwest Ethiopia from September 30 to December 30, 2019. Data on socio-demographic and socio-economic factors, health and nutritional features of children and their mothers were obtained using pre-tested structured questionnaires in a face-to-face interview with child care providers. Blood samples and stool examination for intestinal parasites were performed. Hemoglobin level was analyzed using the HemoCue device (HemoCueHb 301). The collected data were coded, cleared and entered into Epi-Data version 3.1, and analyzed using Stata version 14 software. To identify candidates and predictor variables, bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were applied respectively. The significance level was determined at a confidence interval of 95% at p-value < 0.05. Results Of the total of 341 participants planned to be participated, about 310 mother-child pairs participated in the study, giving a response rate of 91%; and data were collected from children as well as their parents or guardians. In this study, the magnitude of anemia was 11.9% (95% CI, 8.5, 16.2%). Poor dietary diversity (AOR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.12, 5.14), food-insecure households (AOR = 3.24; 95% CI: 1.85, 4.52), complementary feeding initiation time (AOR = 3.20; 95% CI:1.23, 6.61), intestinal parasites infection (AOR = 3.20; 95% CI:1.23, 6.61) and family income (AOR = 2.87; 95% CI:1.57, 5.0) were found to be factors significantly associated with anemia. Conclusion Overall, anemia is considered a public health problem among children aged 6–59 months attending at Debre Markos referral hospital, based on the cut-off point of the World Health Organization. Poor dietary diversity, complementary feeding initiation time, household food insecurity, intestinal parasite infection and family income were significantly associated with childhood anemia. Thus, it needs for proven interventions in public health such as food diversification, anti-helmintic drug provision and household food security. In addition, educating women about nutrition and diet diversification, as well as involving them in alternative sources of income-generating activity, can be vital in the study area.

Use of point‐of‐care haemoglobin tests to diagnose childhood anaemia in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review

“…Thirty‐nine additional records were identified from reviewing related articles and citation lists. In total, 45 records from 41 studies met inclusion criteria and were included in our review [3, 5, 6, 13, 15, 19, 22, 28–65]. Figure 1 shows reasons for exclusions.…”

Maternal Anemia Emerges as a Potential Risk Factor for Anemia in Children Aged 6-59 Months in Tanzania: Evidence from the 2022 TDHS-MIS Cross-Sectional Household Survey

“…These ndings highlight the importance of addressing the presence of intestinal parasites in child health. Intestinal parasites can impair iron levels by feeding on the blood from the intestinal wall, causing bleeding and reducing the absorption of essential nutrients [39]. Furthermore, they cause gastrointestinal disorders, such as diarrhea or dysentery.…”

“…Variables related to the child's mother and household included anemia (anemic or not), educational level (no education, primary, secondary, and higher education), economic activity (working or not), current breastfeeding (yes or no), interval between previous births (< 24,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47], and more than 47 months), birth order (< 5 and 5 or more), BMI (underweight, overweight, obesity, and normal weight), anemia (no anemia, mild, moderate, severe), household size (less than 5 and 5 or more individuals), number of children in the household (less than 3 and 3 or more), gender of the household head, water source (improved or not), and type of sanitation (improved or not).…”

Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia and Reference Range of Complete Blood Count, Reticulocyte Parameters in Infants Aged 9–11 Months

“… 31 Alamneh et al stated that family income could be a risk factor for the prevalence of IDA in infants. 32 Families with higher incomes can buy nutritious and iron-rich foods, reducing the possibility of ID or IDA. Previous studies also reported that ID was higher in low-income families.…”