Associations between livestock ownership and lower odds of anaemia among children 6-59 months old are not mediated by animal-source food consumption in Ghana

Abstract

Livestock ownership may mitigate anaemia among young children by providing access to animal-source foods (ASFs) yet exacerbate anaemia by exposing children to animal-source pathogens. This study aimed to assess the association between household livestock ownership and child anaemia and examine whether this relationship is mediated by child ASF consumption or by child morbidity and inflammation. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 470 children aged 6-59 months in Greater Accra, Ghana. Child blood samples were analysed for haemoglobin concentration, iron status biomarkers and inflammatory biomarkers. Caregivers were asked about the child's frequency of ASF consumption in the past 3 months. Livestock ownership was categorized into five typologies to distinguish households by the number and combinations of species owned. In adjusted logistic regression, children from households in Type 5, owning cattle, small livestock (goats, sheep or pigs) and poultry, had lower odds of anaemia compared with those in Type 1, owning no livestock (OR [95% CI]: 0.32 [0.14, 0.71]). Although children from households that owned poultry were more likely to consume chicken meat, and children from households with cattle were more likely to drink cow's milk, consumption of these ASFs did not mediate the observed association between livestock ownership and child anaemia. There were no associations between livestock ownership and children's symptoms of illness or inflammation. Further research is needed to understand how ownership of certain livestock species, or a greater diversity of livestock species, may be associated with the risk of child anaemia, including the role of dietary and income-based pathways.

Keywords: Ghana; anaemia; animal-source foods; child morbidity; inflammation; iron deficiency; livestock.

FIGURE 1

Hypothesized pathways by which livestock ownership influences child anaemia, mediated by ASF intake, morbidity symptoms or inflammation. Livestock ownership typologies were defined as five categories including no livestock; only poultry (<12); only poultry (≥12); small livestock +/− poultry; and cattle +/− small livestock or poultry. Child ASF intake was characterized as consumption of each type of ASF (cow meat; goat, sheep or pig meat; chicken meat; organ meats; eggs; cow milk) in the past 3 months. Child morbidity was considered separately for each type of illness (fever; diarrhoea; cough/cold) experienced in the past 7 days and elevated concentrations of each inflammatory biomarker (CRP > 5 mg/L; AGP > 1 g/L). Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin <11.0 g/dL

FIGURE 2

Box plots of the number of animals reared stratified by livestock species and livestock ownership typology among 470 households sampled during October–November 2018 in Greater Accra region, Ghana (265 households were categorized in type 1, 71 in type 2, 59 in type 3, 60 in type 4, and 15 in type 5). Top and bottom whiskers represent the highest and lowest values, top and bottom of boxes represent the 75th and 25th percentiles, middle lines of boxes represent medians, and circles represent outlying values