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. 2022 Jun 13;14(12):2449.
doi: 10.3390/nu14122449.

Attention Should Be Paid to Adolescent Girl Anemia in China: Based on China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (2015-2017)

Shujuan Li  1 , Liyun Zhao  1 , Dongmei Yu  1 , Hongyan Ren  2
Affiliations

Attention Should Be Paid to Adolescent Girl Anemia in China: Based on China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (2015-2017)

Shujuan Li et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Adolescent girls are in the key stages of rapid physical and psychological development and have a great demand for iron. Anemia affects adolescent girls’ health, future development, and even the health of their offspring. There has been limited study of adolescent girl anemia at the national and provincial levels in China. We investigated the anemia status of adolescent girls in China based on data from the China Nutrition and Health Surveillance (CNHS, 2015−2017). The anemia prevalence in Chinese adolescent girls aged 10−17 years is 8.5%, with mild anemia and moderate anemia accounting for 65.9 and 31.8%, respectively, and severe anemia accounting for only 2.3%. Significant urban−rural disparities and regional disparities were found in adolescent girl anemia. The anemia prevalence in adolescent girls varied from 3 to 13.4% in different provinces, and 90% of the provinces had anemia prevalence higher than 5%. Having started menstruating (OR = 2.58, p < 0.01) and living in rural areas (OR = 1.18, p < 0.05) were risk factors for anemia; having a mother with higher education was a protective factor (OR = 0.87, p < 0.05). As for food intake, consuming meat ≥35 g per day was a protective factor (OR = 0.90, p < 0.05). Consuming vegetables ≥3 times per day was also a protective factor (OR = 0.72, p < 0.01), while consuming vegetables ≥400 g per day was a risk factor (OR = 1.24, p < 0.01). Special attention should be paid to adolescent girls, especially to those already having started menstruating, living in rural areas, to those whose mother has a low education level, and to those with a relatively unbalanced diet. Comprehensive measures, including paying special attention to vulnerable areas and vulnerable subgroups of adolescent girls, would reduce the risk of anemia.

Keywords: China; China Nutrition and Health Surveillance; adolescent girls; anemia; influencing factors; spatial disparities.

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Conflict of interest statement

This manuscript is an original work and has not been published elsewhere. None of the authors declare any conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The flowchart of study procedures.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Anemia prevalence in adolescent girls at surveillance-point level; (B) anemia prevalence in adolescent girls at provincial level.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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