Prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia in children aged less than 60 months: A population-based study from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Monteiro de Castro LISBÔA, Maria Beatriz
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Ornelas OLIVEIRA, Edilson, Alves LAMOUNIER, Joel, Mariano SILVA, Camilo Adalton, Nascimento FREITAS, Renata
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista de Nutrição
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.puc-campinas.edu.br/nutricao/article/view/8200
• topic: Anemia iron-deficiency; Food security; Prevalence; Risk factors; Anemia ferropriva; Segurança alimentar e nutricional; Prevalência; Fatores de risco

ObjectiveTo identify the prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia in children aged less than 60 months and the conditioning factors in Minas Gerais, Brazil. MethodsThis cross-sectional study conducted from February 2007 to July 2008 in Minas Gerais included a random sample of 725 male and female children aged less than 60 months. A household survey was administered to the children’s parents or guardians to collect socioeconomic, demographic, food security, and the child’s anthropometric data. The hemoglobin level was determined by a portable hemoglobinometer. Anemia was considered present when hemoglobin levels were below 11.0 g/dL. Statistical analyses estimated the prevalenceof anemia and its association with socioeconomic, demographic, and food security-related variables. The model was adjusted by multivariate logistic regression. The significance level was set at 5% (p<0.05). ResultsThe prevalence of anemia was 37.4%. The greatest prevalence occurred in the age group 6 to 24 months (43.0%). The associated variables were being female (PR=1.43; p<0.026); age (PR=1.53; p<0.024); and not frequenting a daycare center (PR=2.41; p<0.001). In the multivariate regression model, the variables being female and not frequenting a daycare center remained in the model. ConclusionThe present population-based study found that in Minas Gerais, one-third (37.5%) of the children aged less than 60 months have iron-deficiency anemia. The results show that not frequenting a daycare center and being female are risk factors for anemia.