High Prevalence of Anemia in Children and Adult Women in an Urban Population in Southern Brazil

Lúcia Mariano Da Rocha Silla ,Elaine Scapinello,Marco Antonio Shilling,Cristina Arthmar Mentz Albrecht,Ingrid Mito,Bruna Amorin,Letícia Baggio,Annelise Pezzi,Claudia Conti,João Ricardo Friedrisch,Laura Fogliatto,Gustavo Brandão Fischer ,Rosane Bittencourt ,Christina Matzenbacher Bittar ,Cláudia Caceres Astigarraga ,Márcia Arthmar Mentz Albrecht ,Tânia Maria Centenaro Hellwing ,Vanessa De Souza Valim ,Alessandra Aparecida Paz ,Mariana Bohns Michalowski ,Alice De Medeiros Zelmanowicz ,Liane Esteves Daudt

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068805

Abstract

This population-based study was designed to detect the prevalence of anemia in a healthy population of children (18 months to 7 years) and women (14 to 30 years) tested in 2006–2007 in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil as part of an effort to tackle this massive problem that still affects so many people in the XXI century. Anemia was defined according to the WHO. Capillary blood was measured and socioeconomic status was determined according to the Brazilian Association of Market Research Agencies. The median prevalence of anemia in 2198 children was 45.4% and in 1999 women 36.4%. Anemia decreased with age during childhood; although significantly more prevalent in lower classes individuals, it was also high in the upper classes. There are indirect evidences that the lack of iron supplementation and/or iron fortified food may play a role in it. Professionals and society wise measures of education have to be implemented in order to address possible biologic factors involved in childhood psychosocial development in southern Brazil.

Highlights

There is increasing evidence that micronutrient deficiencies play a central role in preventing children from achieving their full developmental potential and compromising irreversibly their cognitive development [1,2,3]
Of the children referred to the Pediatric Hematology outpatient clinic in the Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), the University Hospital of the Federal University of RS (UFRGS), an estimated 40% had iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Based on this and on the findings mentioned above, we decided to launch an educational program called ‘‘Children without Anemia in RS’’, to draw attention to the prevalence of anemia and to establish measures to prevent and treat it. As part of this program, we ran a population based study on anemia prevalence and its relation to socioeconomic status (SeS) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) which we report here
For women there was no correlation between age and anemia prevalence (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

There is increasing evidence that micronutrient deficiencies play a central role in preventing children from achieving their full developmental potential and compromising irreversibly their cognitive development [1,2,3]. Anemia is a global concern [4] and represents an ongoing challenge worldwide [5] since human development and social equality are depending on an adequate micronutrient intake early in life [6]. There is evidence for an increasing prevalence of anemia and obesity, which has been attributed to a ‘‘nutrition transition’’ observed in Brazil [8]. There are few published studies on the prevalence of anemia in fertile, non-pregnant women in Brazil. According to a National Surveillance published in 2006 by the Brazilian Health Ministry, the prevalence of anemia in this population is 25 to 30% [9]

Methods

Results

Conclusion