Anemia in older adults in Mexico

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of anemia and to assess its association with some risk factor in a probabilistic sample of Mexican adults older than 60 years.Information from 5480 adults (>60 y) extracted from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT‐2006) was included in the analysis. We examined emoglobin concentrations in relation to ethnic background, demographic and health status variables. Our results revealed that Mexican older women had lower hemoglobin concentrations (13.96 ± 1.75 vs 15.14 ± 2.11 mg/dL; P < 0.01), and higher prevalence of anemia (34.8 vs.1 7.0%; P < 0.05), than men.The prevalence of anemia was adjusted by sex, age, dwelling (rural/urban), ethnic background, incapacity, depression status and smoking. The prevalence of anemia was higher in indigenous (OR 1.6, CI95% 1.27, 2.2); incapacity (OR 1.9, CI95% 1.2, 2.9) and population from urban communities (OR 1.3, CI95% 1.04, 1,6) and increased with age (70 to 79 y: OR 1.3, CI95% 1.02, 1.7 2.2; and > 80 y OR 2.6, CI95% 2.4, 3.5).Anemia is becoming a public health problem in Mexico. It should be approached through aggressive interventions targeted to older people at risk in order to reduce rapidly the prevalence of anemia, thus limiting its negative short and long‐term effects on other health outcomes.