Spatial Variations and Determinants of Anemia among Under-five Children in Nepal, DHS (2006–2016)

Abstract

Anemia among under-five children is the major health problem in Nepal. The lack of nutritional supplementation and lack of healthcare facilities are influential factors of anemia. Thus, the main objective of this study is to explore spatial variations and determinants of anemia among under-five children in Nepal. Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) data from 2006 to 2016 were used in this study, which includes: household and individual-level data of 8555 under-five children, whose anemia was measured. In addition, a total of 260 (2006), 281 (2011), and 383 DHS clusters (2016) were taken in consideration for spatial analysis. The overall prevalence of anemia was 48.9%, 46.4%, and 52.2% in 2006, 2011, and 2016 respectively. The spatial analysis revealed a nonrandom spatial distribution, where statistically significant hotspots and coldspots were detected in different parts of the country. The results also identified mother’s age, mother’s educational level, socioeconomic status of household, number of under-5 children, household size, birth weight, underweight, stunting, diarrhea, and fever as associated factors of anemia among under-5 children. These findings may provide assistance to concerned health officials in adopting anemia-related programs and policies to address the anemia problems that plague Nepalese children under the age of five.

Anemia prevalence and its predictors among children under-five years in Ghana. A multilevel analysis of the 2019 Ghana malaria indicator survey

“…Majority of the children (88.8%) had no fever in the two-weeks prior to survey interview whilst 7.5% had fever with malaria positive test. Young mothers (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) were more (44.6%) than mothers in other age groups with about 27.5% of the women having between 4 to 5 children. However only 5.2% of the mothers had attained higher educational status and 54.2% cannot read at all.…”

“…The contribution of these determinants to childhood anemia are complex and vary from country, dietary practice and environmental factors [27,28]. For international bodies, governments and other stakeholders to be guided and know the appropriate interventions to implement in Ghana, country speci c predictors of anemia in children underve years must be ascertained [29]. However, to the best of our knowledge, we are yet to come across any study in Ghana using a novel multilevel model to assess country speci c potential predictors of anemia, and to quantify possible unobserved community level differences in anemia prevalence in the country.…”

Anemia prevalence and its predictors among children under‐five years in Ghana. A multilevel analysis of the cross‐sectional 2019 Ghana Malaria Indicator Survey

“…The contribution of these determinants to childhood anemia are complex and vary from country, dietary practice, and environmental factors 27,28 . For international bodies, governments, and other stakeholders to be guided and know the appropriate interventions to implement in Ghana, country specific predictors of anemia in children under‐fives must be ascertained 29 . However, to the best of our knowledge, we are yet to come across any study in Ghana using a multilevel model to assess country specific potential predictors of anemia, and to quantify possible unobserved community level differences in anemia prevalence.…”

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

“…While the current study highlights the need to address anaemia in Ethiopia, this prevalence is not dissimilar to findings elsewhere, especially in developing settings where anaemia remains a significant public health issue. For example, anaemia is a public health problem in countries including India 56% [ 54 ], Nepal 52.2%, [ 55 ], Bangladesh 52.1% [ 56 ] and several SSA countries—Burkina Faso (88%), Mali (82%), Niger (73%), Benin (72%), and Liberia (71%) [ 57 ]. This indicates that much more effort and resources are needed to address anaemia as a global scourge and to improve the health outcomes of affected children and individuals.…”