Prevalence and factors associated with anemia among children under five years of age in Rombo district, Kilimanjaro region, Northern Tanzania.

Autor: Mboya IB; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, 255, Tanzania.; School of Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Kwazulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, South Africa.; Community Health Department, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, 255, Tanzania., Mamseri R; Community Health Department, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, 255, Tanzania., Leyaro BJ; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, 255, Tanzania., George J; Community Health Department, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, 255, Tanzania., Msuya SE; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, 255, Tanzania.; Community Health Department, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, 255, Tanzania., Mgongo M; Community Health Department, Institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, 255, Tanzania.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: F1000Research [F1000Res] 2020 Sep 07; Vol. 9, pp. 1102. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Sep 07 (Print Publication: 2020).
DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.24707.3
Abstrakt: Background:   Anemia is a severe public health problem affecting more than half of children under five years of age in low-, middle- and high-income countries. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with anemia among children under five years of age in northern Tanzania. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Rombo district, Kilimanjaro region, northern Tanzania, in April 2016. Multistage sampling technique was used to select a total of 602 consenting mothers and their children aged 6-59 months and interviewed using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Stata version 15.1. We used generalized linear models (binomial family and logit link function) with a robust variance estimator to determine factors associated with anemia. Results: Prevalence of anemia was 37.9%, and it was significantly higher among children aged 6-23 months (48.3%) compared to those aged 24-59 months (28.5%). There were no significant differences in anemia prevalence by sex of the child. Adjusted for other factors, children aged 6-23 months had over two times higher odds of being anemic (OR=2.47, 95% CI 1.73, 3.53, p<0.001) compared to those aged 24-59 months. No significant association was found between maternal and nutritional characteristics with anemia among children in this study. Conclusion: Prevalence of anemia was lower than the national and regional estimates, and it still constitutes a significant public health problem, especially among children aged 6-23 months. The study recommends iron supplementation, food fortification, dietary diversification, and management of childhood illnesses interventions for mothers and children under two years.
Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
(Copyright: © 2023 Mboya IB et al.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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