Food assistance programmes are indirectly associated with anaemia status in children <5 years old in Mexico

Abstract

Anaemia in children is a public health concern in Mexico; Federal food assistance programmes are being implemented to prevent it. We undertook this research to investigate the indirect association between food assistance programmes (FAP) and anaemia through dietary and socio-economic conditions of beneficiary children. A structural equation model (SEM) was constructed to assess associations among FAP, dietary and socio-economic conditions, as well as anaemia. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted based on a sample of 1214 households with children <5 years old, beneficiaries of two FAP: Prospera and rescue from malnutrition with amaranth (RMA) and a comparison group in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The SEM and a decomposition effect analysis revealed the existence of a significant indirect association of FAP on the prevalence of anaemia via dietary and socio-economic conditions in children under 5 years old. The Prospera assistance programme showed a significant indirect positive association with the prevalence of anaemia (standard coefficient = 0·027, P < 0·031), and the RMA programme showed a significant indirect negative association with the prevalence of anaemia (standard coefficient = − 0·029, P = 0·047). There was a direct association between FAP and dietary and socio-economic conditions. FAP could indirectly modify the prevalence of anaemia in young children with a direct improvement on dietary and socio-economic conditions. The unexpected finding of the association between RMA, dietary and socio-economic conditions and the prevalence of anaemia reflects differences in the focus of the programmes.

Maternal height and double-burden of malnutrition households in Mexico: stunted children with overweight or obese mothers

“…This coexistence poses challenges for health and nutrition policies as well as the healthcare system. For instance, widespread public programmes, such as conditional cash transfers that have been effective in reducing some forms of undernutrition, may have inadvertently contributed to obesity in some settings (17)(18)(19)(20) .…”

Sociodemographic factors associated with low intake of bioavailable iron in preschoolers: National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012, Mexico

“…The estimated FeBio intake (0.74-0.81 mg/d) is slightly higher than previous estimates in Mexican preschool children, with data from the 1999 ENN (0.14-0.37 mg/d) [13]. Diverse factors could be contributing to the differences between estimates: 1) the instrument and methodology used for data collection were different, as in the present study a multi-step method was used, allowing for a better record of consumed foods [8,24,25]; 2) the algorithm applied included the concentration of SF per individual [14], whereas in 1999, three different scenarios of iron reserves were used because a ferritin measurement was not available [13]; 3) a possible change in iron intake in the past 13 years could be due to a greater consumption of fortified foods [8,35,36]; 4) the implementation of government programs, such as the Liconsa milk supply program (milk fortified with iron and other micronutrients), could be contributing to an improved iron status in children [36][37][38].…”