Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study.
Anemia is a significant public health problem among children worldwide. The etiology of anemia is multifactorial but iron deficiency (ID) is the most common cause of anemia in low- and middle-income countries. ID and anemia in infancy can impair growth and cognitive development. The aim of this stud...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | PLOS Global Public Health |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0003062&type=printable |
| _version_ | 1797221651108069376 |
|---|---|
| author | Joyce Mwakishalua Simon Karanja Raphael Lihana Collins Okoyo Nicole Stoffel Michael Zimmermann |
| author_facet | Joyce Mwakishalua Simon Karanja Raphael Lihana Collins Okoyo Nicole Stoffel Michael Zimmermann |
| author_sort | Joyce Mwakishalua |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anemia is a significant public health problem among children worldwide. The etiology of anemia is multifactorial but iron deficiency (ID) is the most common cause of anemia in low- and middle-income countries. ID and anemia in infancy can impair growth and cognitive development. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya. This cross-sectional study included 424 mother-infant pairs. Structured questionnaires were administered to the mothers to obtain information on socio-demographic variables, maternal characteristics and birth information. Anthropometric data was collected for each child. A heel prick was done to measure hemoglobin and zinc protoporphyrin concentration levels. Chi-square test, bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were done to determine factors associated with anemia. The prevalence of ID, anemia and IDA was 60.4% (95%CI: 55.9-65.2), 21.0% (95%CI: 17.5-25.2) and 15.8% (95%CI: 12.7-19.7) respectively. Bivariate analysis showed that the risk of anemia was significantly higher among male infants (odds ratio (OR) = 2.20 (95%CI: 1.33-3.63), p = 0.002), iron deficient infants (OR = 2.35 (95%CI: 1.39-3.99), p = 0.001) and infants from Msambweni Sub-County (OR = 2.80 (95%CI: 1.40-4.62), p<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that odds of anemia were significantly higher in infants born to mothers who did not use iron supplements during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 74.01 (95%CI: 2.45-2238.21), p = 0.013 and significantly lower in infants born to mothers with parity ≥ 4 (aOR = 0.05 ((95%CI: 0.00-0.77), p = 0.024). In six-week-old infants in rural Kenya, anemia prevalence was 21.0% with ID accounting for 75.3% of anemia cases. Given the physical and cognitive impairments associated with ID and anemia in early infancy, it may be prudent to re-evaluate the current Kenyan pediatric protocols to include anemia screening and potential treatment of infants less than 6-months of age. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:08:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c1d708c4e38f42d5b66cdb127344b865 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2767-3375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T13:08:49Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLOS Global Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-c1d708c4e38f42d5b66cdb127344b8652024-04-05T06:01:34ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLOS Global Public Health2767-33752024-01-0143e000306210.1371/journal.pgph.0003062Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study.Joyce MwakishaluaSimon KaranjaRaphael LihanaCollins OkoyoNicole StoffelMichael ZimmermannAnemia is a significant public health problem among children worldwide. The etiology of anemia is multifactorial but iron deficiency (ID) is the most common cause of anemia in low- and middle-income countries. ID and anemia in infancy can impair growth and cognitive development. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya. This cross-sectional study included 424 mother-infant pairs. Structured questionnaires were administered to the mothers to obtain information on socio-demographic variables, maternal characteristics and birth information. Anthropometric data was collected for each child. A heel prick was done to measure hemoglobin and zinc protoporphyrin concentration levels. Chi-square test, bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were done to determine factors associated with anemia. The prevalence of ID, anemia and IDA was 60.4% (95%CI: 55.9-65.2), 21.0% (95%CI: 17.5-25.2) and 15.8% (95%CI: 12.7-19.7) respectively. Bivariate analysis showed that the risk of anemia was significantly higher among male infants (odds ratio (OR) = 2.20 (95%CI: 1.33-3.63), p = 0.002), iron deficient infants (OR = 2.35 (95%CI: 1.39-3.99), p = 0.001) and infants from Msambweni Sub-County (OR = 2.80 (95%CI: 1.40-4.62), p<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that odds of anemia were significantly higher in infants born to mothers who did not use iron supplements during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 74.01 (95%CI: 2.45-2238.21), p = 0.013 and significantly lower in infants born to mothers with parity ≥ 4 (aOR = 0.05 ((95%CI: 0.00-0.77), p = 0.024). In six-week-old infants in rural Kenya, anemia prevalence was 21.0% with ID accounting for 75.3% of anemia cases. Given the physical and cognitive impairments associated with ID and anemia in early infancy, it may be prudent to re-evaluate the current Kenyan pediatric protocols to include anemia screening and potential treatment of infants less than 6-months of age.https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0003062&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | Joyce Mwakishalua Simon Karanja Raphael Lihana Collins Okoyo Nicole Stoffel Michael Zimmermann Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study. PLOS Global Public Health |
| title | Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study. |
| title_full | Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study. |
| title_fullStr | Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study. |
| title_short | Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study. |
| title_sort | prevalence and predictors of anemia among six week old infants in kwale county kenya a cross sectional study |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0003062&type=printable |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT joycemwakishalua prevalenceandpredictorsofanemiaamongsixweekoldinfantsinkwalecountykenyaacrosssectionalstudy AT simonkaranja prevalenceandpredictorsofanemiaamongsixweekoldinfantsinkwalecountykenyaacrosssectionalstudy AT raphaellihana prevalenceandpredictorsofanemiaamongsixweekoldinfantsinkwalecountykenyaacrosssectionalstudy AT collinsokoyo prevalenceandpredictorsofanemiaamongsixweekoldinfantsinkwalecountykenyaacrosssectionalstudy AT nicolestoffel prevalenceandpredictorsofanemiaamongsixweekoldinfantsinkwalecountykenyaacrosssectionalstudy AT michaelzimmermann prevalenceandpredictorsofanemiaamongsixweekoldinfantsinkwalecountykenyaacrosssectionalstudy |