Menstrual abnormality, maternal illiteracy, and household factors as main predictors of anemia among adolescent girls in Ethiopia: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Adolescent girls are more likely to develop anemia as a result of physical and physiological changes that place a greater strain on their nutritional needs. Primary studies, on the other hand, may not be sufficient to provide a complete picture of anemia in adolescent girls and its major risk factors. Objective: The study aimed to describe the pooled prevalence of adolescent girls’ anemia and the factors that contribute. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of observational studies using the databases CINAHL (EBSCO), PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the articles, and studies of fair to good quality were included. We pooled anemia prevalence among adolescents and odds ratio estimates for risk factors. Subgroup analysis employing sample size and study setup was computed to determine the source of heterogeneity, and the I2 test was used to identify the existence or absence of substantial heterogeneity during subgroup analysis. The pooled prevalence of adolescent girls’ anemia was calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis model. Results: The overall pooled prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls in Ethiopia was 23.03% (95% confidence interval: 17.07, 28.98). Low dietary diversity (odds ratio: 1.56; 95% confidence interval: 1.05, 2.32), illiterate mothers (odds ratio: 1.45; 95% confidence interval: 1.13, 1.86), household size greater than five (odds ratio: 1.65; 95% confidence interval: 1.14, 2.38), food-insecure households (odds ratio: 1.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.21, 1.82), and menstrual blood flow more than 5 days (odds ratio: 6.21; 95% confidence interval: 1.67, 23.12) were the identified factors associated with anemia among adolescent girls. Conclusion: The pooled prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls in Ethiopia was moderately high. Therefore, to combat the burden of anemia among adolescent girls offering nutritional education is crucial. Iron supplementation is also recommended for adolescent females who have a menstrual cycle that lasts longer than 5 days.

Iron folic acid consumption and anemia prevalence among female adolescents in rural areas: an observational study

“…13 Previous studies examined the causes of anemia in female adolescents, consisting of nutritional status, menstrual cycle and length, lack of iron-folate intake, and vitamin B12 as direct factors for anemia in female adolescents. 14,15 Other studies have tried to examine indirect causes of anemia such as socio-demography (age, education, economic status). 16 In addition, the influence of behavioral factors such as the application of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation and adherence to consuming iron folic acid tablets was also investigated with the incidence of anemia in adolescent girls.…”

“…The associated factors of female adolescent anemia in Sirnagalih Village.with more than five people (OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.38), food insecurity in the home (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.21, 1.82), and menstrual blood flow lasting longer than five days (OR: 6.21; 95% CI: 1.67) 14. …”