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. 2013 Apr;88(4):757-64.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.12-0560. Epub 2013 Feb 4.

Determinants of anemia among preschool children in rural, western Kenya

Eric M Foote  1 , Kevin M Sullivan, Laird J Ruth, Jared Oremo, Ibrahim Sadumah, Thomas N Williams, Parminder S Suchdev
Affiliations

Determinants of anemia among preschool children in rural, western Kenya

Eric M Foote et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2013 Apr.

Abstract

Although anemia in preschool children is most often attributed to iron deficiency, other nutritional, infectious, and genetic contributors are rarely concurrently measured. In a population-based, cross-sectional survey of 858 children 6-35 months of age in western Kenya, we measured hemoglobin, malaria, inflammation, sickle cell, α-thalassemia, iron deficiency, vitamin A deficiency, anthropometry, and socio-demographic characteristics. Anemia (Hb < 11 g/dL) and severe anemia (Hb < 7 g/dL) prevalence ratios (PRs) for each exposure were determined using multivariable modeling. Anemia (71.8%) and severe anemia (8.4%) were common. Characteristics most strongly associated with anemia were malaria (PR: 1.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.5-1.9), iron deficiency (1.3; 1.2-1.4), and homozygous α-thalassemia (1.3; 1.1-1.4). Characteristics associated with severe anemia were malaria (10.2; 3.5-29.3), inflammation (6.7; 2.3-19.4), and stunting (1.6; 1.0-2.4). Overall 16.8% of anemia cases were associated with malaria, 8.3% with iron deficiency, and 6.1% with inflammation. Interventions should address malaria, iron deficiency, and non-malarial infections to decrease the burden of anemia in this population.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Important causal pathways for anemia among children 6–35 months of age, Nyando District, Kenya.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Anemia and severe anemia prevalence fractions for associated factors, Nyando District, Kenya.
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