Prevalence of anemia among under-5 children in the Ghanaian population: estimates from the Ghana demographic and health survey

Abstract

BackgroundAnemia in children continues to be a major public health challenge in most developing countries, particularly in Africa. Anemia in the early stages of life leads to severe negative consequences on the cognitive as well as the growth and development of children, which may persist even after treatment. We examine the prevalence of anemia in under-five children in the Ghanaian population to help inform and serve as a guide to health policies and possible interventions.MethodsData from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) was used. Data consists of health, demographic and socio-economic factors. Anemia status was determined using hemoglobin level, and prevalence of childhood anemia along with 95% confidence intervals was provided. We also examined the distribution of prevalence across different age and socio-demographic groups as well as the different regions and sub-regions in Ghana.ResultsThe overall prevalence of anemia in under-five children in Ghana was 78.4% (N = 2168, 95% CI: 76.7-80.2), where 7.8% (N = 2168, 95% CI: 6.6-8.9) of the children had severe anemia, 48.0% (N = 2168, 95% CI: 45.9-50.2) moderate anemia and 22.6% (N = 2168, 95% CI: 20.8-24.4) had mild anemia. The highest prevalence regions were the Upper East, 88.9% (N = 158, 95% CI: 80.9-94.0), and Upper West 88.1% (N = 220, 95% CI: 76.4-94.6). The prevalence was also higher among children under 2 years of age, 85.1% (N = 781, 95% CI: 82.6-87.7) than children 2–5 years of age, 74.8% (N = 1387, 95% CI: 72.5-77.1). No significant difference in prevalence between boys and girls was observed.ConclusionsGiven the high prevalence of childhood anemia observed in Ghana, particularly among those less than 2 years old, and given the negative consequences on their cognitive and behavioral development even in later years, there is an urgent need for effective and efficient public health interventions.

Assessment of the Prevalence of Anaemia and Associated Risk Factors among Children Under Five Years in rural communities ofthe Hohoe Municipality, Ghana

“…The prevalence of anaemia among children aged 6-23 was 56.7% as compared to 42.3% in children aged 24-59 months (p=0.027). Similar findings were reported earlier, where the prevalence of anaemiaamong children under 2 years was 85.1% and 74 8% among children 2-5 years of age (p<0.001) [2].…”

“…The results of the current study revealed that the prevalence of anaemia (Hb<11.0g/dl) in children under five in rural areas in Hohoe municipality was 48.1% with mean Hb (10.8±1.70).This finding is lower compared to the overall prevalence of anaemiareportedearlier in the rural areas of Ghana, 74% [2,11].This improvement could be due to the high LLIN ownership and usage, high coverage of antenatal care clinics attendance by pregnant women, high SP-IPTp and iron supplements uptake during pregnancy, which has resulted in good iron stores in both the mother and child. It could also be due to the clearance of parasitaemia in the blood through prompt treatment with effective antimalarial drugs.…”

“…It is defined as a decrease in the concentration of circulating red blood cells or in the Haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and a concomitant impaired capacity to transport oxygen [1].The global estimate of anaemia in children indicates thatapproximately293.1 million children under five years (43%) are anaemic worldwide and 28.5% of these children are residing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In the developing countries, it is reported that an estimated 3.5 billion people are anaemic [1,2]. The 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) estimate of anaemia prevalence in Africa was 64.6% as compared to the prevalence in Europe (16.4%) and in North America (3.4%).…”

“…The prevalence of mild and moderate anaemia may attribute to mortality risk [4]. Anaemia in children is of particular interest since it impairs their mental, physical and social development, causes low immunity, negative behavioural and cognitive effects resulting in poor school performance and work capacity in later life, thereby reducing earning potential and damaging national economic growth in the future [2,5].…”

Drug Prescribing Practice Among Anameic Patients in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

“…Around 66 patients were diagnosed to be normocytic normochromic anaemia in which 30 patients were males followed by 36 patients were females which was not in favour to the results seen in the study done by BhasinAet al in which62 patients out of 100 patients had normocytic anaemia and 30 patients out of 100 patients had microcytic anemia. [13] Microcytic anaemia was more seen in 41-50 age group (31 patients), Normocytic…”