Assessment of anaemia and iron status of school age children (aged 7-12 years) in rural communities of Abia state, Nigeria

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate iron status of school children aged 7-12 years in some rural communities in Nigeria as well as identify factors associated with anemia in the children. A total of 249 school children, 120 males and 129 females aged between 7-12 years were used in the study. Haemomoglobin (Hb), haematocrit (PCV) and serum ferritin were used to determine anaemia and iron status in 208 children. The subjects were also screened for malaria parasites and worm infection to determine their impact on anaemia. C-reactive protein (CRP) was used as an indicator of inflammation or infection. Socioeconomic, anthropometric and body composition information were collected from the children, while dietary iron intake was determined using a combination of 24 hour dietary recall, food frequency questionnaire and weighed inventory technique. The values obtained for energy and nutrient intakes were compared with RDA recommendations. Anaemia was defined as Hb < 11.0mg/dl and iron deficiency was defined as serum ferritin levels below 12ug/dl. Correlation coefficient was used to evaluate association between anaemia and nutritional as well as health factors. The results showed that the prevalence of anaemia was 82.6%, while iron deficiency was 77.8%. The average daily iron intake was 30% below the recommended allowance. There was a high prevalence of inflammatory disorders as indicated by CRP. Malaria parasite and worm infestations were high in the children (93.2% and 41.8%, respectively). Anaemia was significantly associated with helminth infestation, malaria parasite and CRP. The children had a mean weight and height below the recommended standards. Of all the children in the study (n=249), 77% were both stunted and underweight while 56% were wasted. The body composition values of normal children (body fat, triceps, subscapula skinfold thicknesses and abdominal circumference) were significantly higher than those of the malnourished children (p<0.05). The percentage of children having low BMI (<14.59) was 23.69%.The need for malaria and helminth control in these communities is recommended.

Prevalence and factors associated with anthropometric failure, vitamin A and iron deficiency among adolescents in a Nigerian urban community

“…The prevalence of stunting reported in this study was lower than the observations of some researchers 5,21 but higher than the report of others 22,23 . More males were affected and this is in line with the report of Okeke et al…”

“…The dearth of data on the nutritional status of adolescents particularly iron status 5 makes it difficult to define appropriate intervention strategies for them. The Nigeria Food consumption and nutrition survey 8 provided National data on the nutritional status of the under fives and clearly neglected children above five years, school children inclusive.…”

“…Under five children are generally prioritized for nutrition assessment and interventions because under nutrition is more widespread than among older children. School children above five years, especially adolescents, have been shown to be equally affected by anaemia 5 , vitamin A deficiency 6 and parasitic infections 5,7 . Rural areas have also been given priority over urban areas implying that malnutrition and other health problems are more prevalent in these areas than urban areas.…”

Infant feeding practices and Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia Among Children of 0-5 Years in Ondo State, Nigeria

“…The reason for this may not be farfetched, because in developing countries like Nigeria, Food provision and consumption of nutritious foods by any family is depending largely on the income of the father while mother's income is meant to support the father in many occasions. Poor economic potential as indicated by lack of money and expensive nature of these protein foods, explained the low consumption of meat/fish by the children 11 . Fruits intake seemed to be high but the consumption pattern coupled with poor knowledge of nutrition did not allow the effects of vitamin c on iron bio-availability among these children to be effective 11 .…”

“…We can see in the study that most of the children were introduced to plain pap, pap + milk or milk only, either as protein food or as complementary weaning foods. Meat/fish and liver which are excellent sources of heme iron and enhancing factors for non-heme iron absorption, were consumed but in low quantities 11 . The study also shows that father's occupation was significant with the types of traditional food given to child at p= 0.01 level while father's education education was negatively correlated with the type of traditional complementary foods given to child.…”