Abstract
This study evaluated the prevalence of anaemia and its social determinants among Brazilian children from rural settlements of the land reform colonization projects of Teresina city, in Northeast, Brazil. This is a population-based cross-sectional study involving 131 children younger than 5 years. Anaemia was diagnosed by haemoglobin measurements using an automated haematology analyser. The prevalence of anaemia was 29%. Multiple Poisson regression showed that anemia prevalence decreased by 39% for each year of the childâs age (aPR= 0.61; 95% CI= 0.50 â 0.74), 14% for each year of maternal education (aPR= 0.86; 95% CI= 0.79 â 0.94) and 6% for each year of maternal age (aPR= 0.94; 95% CI= 0.89 â 1.00). In addition, children living in clay or in unfinished masonry houses had a higher prevalence of anemia than those living in finished masonry houses (aPR= 2.73; 95% CI= 1.50 â 4.97). Anaemia is a moderate public health problem in rural land reform settlements in Teresina and is probably a health issue in other land reform colonization projects in Brazil and worldwide. Strategies that promote the economic and social development of this population need to be implemented, as well as strengthening the implementation of the National Iron Supplementation Program (Programa Nacional de Suplementação de Ferro).
Highlights
In Brazil, rural land reform settlements are agricultural properties arising from the government land reform colonization program, implemented by the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Instituto Nacional de Colonização e Reforma Agrária- INCRA)
A reduction of 39% in the prevalence of anaemia was observed for each year of child age
Children living in mud or unfinished masonry houses presented a higher prevalence of anaemia than those living in finished masonry houses
Summary
In Brazil, the only data available, were derived from a study conducted a decade ago (2004) in the Minas Gerais state, by Castro et al[10], who found a 47.5% prevalence of anaemia This prevalence suggests that the disease is an important public health problem in this population and exceeds the rate of 20.9% reported in the National Survey on Demography and Health of Women and Children (Pesquisa Nacional de Demografia e Saúde da Criança e da Mulher- PNDS)[11] for children younger than 5 years. The objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of anaemia among children living in rural settlements of land reform colonization projects in Teresina and its social determinants
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