Anaemia is a major public health problem in Tanzania

Autor:	P. M. Kilima, H. M. Kitange, Gabriel Masuki, Kgmm Alberti, Donald G McLarty, A. B. M. Swai
Rok vydání:	1993
Předmět:	education.field_of_study Pediatrics medicine.medical_specialty Pregnancy biology business.industry Anemia Health Policy Public health Population Oxygen transport biology.organism_classification medicine.disease Tanzania medicine Hemoglobin Rural area education business Demography
Zdroj:	Health Policy and Planning. 8:413-418
ISSN:	1460-2237 0268-1080
Popis:	In Tanzania health workers surveyed 10037 adults (=or> 15 years old) in rural villages in the Morogoro Rural District (a poor rural area) Kilimanjaro region of Hai District (the most wealthy rural area in the study) Mara region (a poor rural area) and in the urban areas of Manzese and Kimara in Dar es Salaam to determine the prevalence of anemia in adults. The prevalence of anemia in males (hemoglobin [Hb] < 13 g/dl) and in females (Hb < 12 g/dl) varied from 29.8% in Kilimanjaro to 79.9% in Mara and 25.8% in Kilimanjaro to 80.5% in Morogoro respectively. Anemia was always more prevalent in Morogoro and Mara than in Kilimanjaro or Dar es Salaam. When the researchers used Hb levels of less than 11 g/dl for males and less than 10 g/dl prevalence ranged from 3.1% in Kilimanjaro to 26.3% in Morogoro for men and 2.1% in Kilimanjaro to 26.8% in Morogoro for women. Mean Hb levels were 13.2 g/dl in Kilimanjaro 11.9 g/dl in Dar es Salaam 11.1 g/dl in Morogoro and 11.1 g/dl in Mara. The 5537 nonpregnant women had a consistently higher mean Hb level than did the 257 pregnant women (11.7 g/dl vs. 10 g/dl). Men in the older age groups had a higher prevalence of anemia in all areas except Mara than did younger men especially 65-year-old and older men. Age was not a factor in women however. Mean prevalence of anemia in males and females in the poorer rural areas was much higher than mean prevalence of anemia in males and females in other East African countries. Since anemia reduces maximum oxygen transport the high levels of anemia in Tanzania may impede work performance. Further anemia contributes to poor health also reducing work performance. These findings show that anemia is a major public health problem in Tanzania.
Databáze:	OpenAIRE
Externí odkaz:	https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::d62a1afc6a7907503d8ed4eba7c994c5 https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/8.4.413 Zobrazit plný text záznamu