Prevalence and determinant factors of anemia in children aged 6–12 months after starting an iron supplement in the east of Iran - 12/09/19

Doi : 10.1016/j.arcped.2019.08.007

Seyed Mohammad Riahi ^a , Maryam Mohammadi ^b, Yadolah Fakhri ^c, Sajjad Rahimi Pordanjani ^d, Farin Soleimani ^e,^⁎ , Hossein Mozafar Saadati ^f,^⁎
^a Cardiovascular Diseases Research Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
^b Province health center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
^c Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Student Research Committee, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
^d Student Research Committee, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
^e Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research center, University of Social Welfare & Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
^f Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

^⁎Corresponding authors.

Sous presse. Épreuves corrigées par l'auteur. Disponible en ligne depuis le Thursday 12 September 2019
Cet article a été publié dans un numéro de la revue, cliquez ici pour y accéder

Abstract

Objective

Anemia in infants is a common problem, with regular iron supplementation the suggested policy for prevention and control of anemia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and the determining factors of anemia as well as the benefits of regular iron supplementation in 6- to 12-month-old children.

Design/setting/subjects

In this cross-sectional study, 897 children aged from 6 to 12 months cared for at the Tabas Health Centers, affiliated with Birjand University of Medical Sciences, South Khorasan, Iran, were enrolled in the study. Demographic and anthropometric data as well as the level of hemoglobin were collected through interviews and laboratory tests, respectively. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-22 and stata-13. Chi², polychromic PCA, and logistic regression were used. The statistical significance level was 0.05.

Result

The prevalence of anemia, according to the WHO criterion for hemoglobin, was 36.8% (95% CI, 33.6–40.0). Its prevalence showed a decreasing trend as age and duration of iron supplement increased. Each 1-month increase in infant age was associated with a decreased risk of anemia [OR=0.88 (95% CI, 0.80–0.98)]. Anemia was not significantly different between genders. Individuals in the highest category for parity (≥3) were at a 2.3-fold greater risk of anemia compared with the lowest category [OR=2.35 (95% CI, 1.43–3.84)]. In contrast, individuals in the highest category for maternal age (>35 years) had a 62% lower risk of anemia compared with the reference category (<25 years) [OR=0.38 (95% CI, 0.20–0.72)].