Prevalence and associated factors of anemia in children aged from 6 months to 5 years old in monitoring points of Guizhou province / 中国学校卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To understand the prevalence of anemia among children aged 6 months to 5 years old in Guizhou Province, providing a scientific basis for anemia intervention.@*Methods@#A total of 853 children aged 6 months to 5 years old and their families were chosen through a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. All the participants were surveyed with relevant questionnaires and hemoglobin testing. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to explore the associated factors.@*Results@#The anemia rate among 853 children aged 6 months to 5 years old in Guizhou was 14.9%, among which mild, moderate and severe anemia accounted for 70.08%, 29.13% and 0.79%, respectively, and the detection rate of anemia decreased with the growth of age(χ2=27.87,P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that anemia was negatively correlated with regular growth monitoring. Children with complementary food supplements after 6 months old were less likely to develop anemia than children with complementary food supplements younger than 4 months; Compared with 6-12-month-old group, older children were less likely to develop anemia; Delayed weaning increased the risk for childhood anemia.@*Conclusion@#The prevalence of anemia among children aged 6 months to 5 years old in monitoring area of Guizhou province is still alerting. Introducing scientific feeding practice to parents, regular growth monitoring, deep cooperation among the government, medical institutions and the family, are vital parts in effectively reducing childhood anemia.