Factors associated with anemia among children in South and Southeast Asia: a multilevel analysis

BMC Public Health

Research

Pranil Man Singh Pradhan¹  Pushpa Rai²  Dev Ram Sunuwar³  Vintuna Shrestha⁴  Bipin Adhikari⁵  Sunil Kumar Shah⁶  Devendra Raj Singh⁷ 

[1] Department of Community Medicine, Maharajgunj Medical Campus, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal;Nepalese Society of Community Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal;Department of Nursing, Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), Lalitpur, Nepal;Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Nepal Armed Police Force Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal;Dhaulagiri Prabidhik Shikshya Pratisthan, CTEVT, Baglung, Nepal;Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand;Public Health and Nutrition Section, Bagmati Welfare Society Nepal, Sarlahi, Nepal;School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK;Research and Innovation Section, Southeast Asia Development Action Network (SADAN), Lalitpur, Nepal;

关键词: Multilevel analysis;    Associated factors;    Childhood anemia;    South and Southeast Asian countries;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-023-15265-y

 received in 2021-07-21, accepted in 2023-02-13,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSouth and Southeast Asian countries (SSEA) account for the highest burden of anemia globally, nonetheless, progress towards the decline of anemia has almost been stalled. This study aimed to explore the individual and community- level factors associated with childhood anemia across the six selected SSEA countries.MethodsDemographic and Health Surveys of SSEA countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Maldives, Myanmar, and Nepal) conducted between 2011 and 2016 were analyzed. A total of 167,017 children aged 6–59 months were included in the analysis. Multivariable multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of anemia.ResultsThe combined prevalence of childhood anemia across six SSEA countries was 57.3% (95% CI: 56.9–57.7%). At the individual level, childhood anemia was significantly higher among (1) mothers with anemia compared to non-anemic mothers (Bangladesh: aOR = 1.66, Cambodia: aOR = 1.56, India: aOR = 1.62, Maldives: aOR = 1.44, Myanmar: aOR = 1.59, and Nepal: aOR = 1.71); (2) children with a history of fever in the last two weeks compared to those without a history of fever (Cambodia: aOR = 1.29, India: aOR = 1.03, Myanmar: aOR = 1.08), and; (3) stunted children compared to those who were not (Bangladesh: aOR = 1.33, Cambodia: aOR = 1.42, India: aOR = 1.29, and Nepal: aOR = 1.27). In terms of community-level factors, children with mothers in communities with a high percentage of community maternal anemia had higher odds of childhood anemia in all countries (Bangladesh: aOR = 1.21, Cambodia: aOR = 1.31, India: aOR = 1.72, Maldives: aOR = 1.35, Myanmar: aOR = 1.33, and Nepal: aOR = 1.72).ConclusionChildren with anemic mothers and stunted growth were found vulnerable to developing childhood anemia. Individual and community-level factors identified in this study can be considered to develop effective anemia control and prevention strategies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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