Socio-Cultural Risk Factors of Anemia among Children under Five Years of Age in District Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan

Abstract

Aims: This study is aimed to determine the prevalence of anemia and to analyze its socio-cultural determinants among under five children to devise targeted delivery plan for pharmaceutical interventions to combat anemia.
 Study Design: To investigate the socio-cultural risk factors, a cross-sectional field survey was conducted to gather data from 384 women and their last child up to five years of age in Muzaffarabad district of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan.
 Methodology: A pretested interview schedule was constructed to collect socio-cultural characteristics of the women and their children. We use convenience sampling which is a non-probability sampling technique for data collection. Two government hospitals were selected for data and blood samples collection from respondents. We use univariate analysis for descriptive statistics and perform bivariate analysis to find the association of anemia with the socio-cultural risk factors. Binary logistic regression is used to calculate odd ratios and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals. The results were considered statistically significant for p-value <0.05.
 Results: The overall prevalence of anemia is 47.7%, which is a severe health problem from public health perspective. Among anemic children 74(40.4%) are mildly anemic, 79(43.2%) are suffering from moderate and 30(16.4%) from severe anemia. Major risk factors of anemia include residential area, parental education, father’s profession, lower family income, maternal knowledge about balanced diet and anemia.
 Conclusion: It is concluded that anemia among under five children is a multifactorial problem and policymakers should devise targeted pharmaceutical interventions (iron and folic acid supplementation) to combat anemia.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Anemia Among Under Five Years Old Children Who Attended Spinghar Momand Curative and Teaching Hospital, Jalalabad City

“…The overall incidences of anemia were 47.7 and 52.3% were non-anemic. 15 In conclusion, we can say that the above research results are close to our research results.…”

“…It was comparatively more in males than females. 14 Another study, which was conducted by Nazneen Habib et al (2020) in Kashmir, Pakistan the results were as below: All 384 children who were under five-year-old taken into consideration. The overall incidences of anemia were 47.7 and 52.3% were non-anemic.…”

Association of minimum dietary diversity with anaemia among 6–59 months’ children from rural India: An evidence from a cross-sectional study

“…The aetiology of anaemia is multifaceted and includes micronutrient deficiencies (vitamin A, vitamin B12, folate and zinc)[ 7 ] and inherited haemoglobin disorders; however, the most common cause of anaemia among children is estimated to be related to iron deficiency. [ 8 ] According to few Indian studies, maternal anaemia, place of residence, low family income, poor feeding practices,[ 9 ] low maternal level of education and low dietary quantity have all been linked to childhood anaemia. [ 3 ].…”

Modeling the Prevalence of Anemia among the Children in Pakistan: Classical and Bayesian Estimation Approach

“…By implementing similar programs and policies, Pakistan can also achieve a significant reduction in anemia prevalence. The prevalence of anemia is high among children under five in Pakistan, prompting the development of strategies to mitigate the risk factors and implementation of evidence-based protective measures for the reduction of anemia in this age group (Habib et al 2020). According to Ullah et al (2013), pregnant women also had a higher prevalence of anemia than other groups in Pakistan and can be the target of additional programs.…”