Abstract
ABSTRACTBackground: The role of dietary diversity on blood biomarkers may be significant, but the evidence is limited.Objective: This study assessed the association between dietary diversity and haematological status of children aged 6-59 months controlling for various known confounders.Design: The analysis in this study is based on the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health survey data.The study involved 2,388 pre-school children aged 6-59 months who constituted the sub-sample for anaemia assessment.Results: The mean haemoglobin concentration (Hb) was 10.2 g/dl ± 1.50 (95 % CI: 10.1 to 10.3), and anaemia prevalence (Hb < 11 g/dl) among children aged 6-59 months was 66.8 % (CI: 63.7 to 69.8). In multivariable logistic regression analysis,continued breastfeeding [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.9 (95% CI: 1.19–2.91], 12–23 months of age (AOR = 2.4 (95% CI: 1.40–3.98), having fever in last two weeks (AOR = 1.7 (95% CI: 1.20–2.45, birth interval ≤ 24 months (AOR = 1.9 (1.20–2.84), and poorest wealth quintile (AOR = 2.6 (95% CI: 1.48–4.48) were positively associated with anaemia.Conclusion: The current study showed that factors other than poor dietary diversity predicted anaemia among children aged 6–59 months in Ghana.
Highlights
Undernutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, is a leading cause of maternal and child mortality and morbidity [1,2,3,4,5]
Minimum dietary diversity was positively associated with mean haemoglobin concentration (Hb) concentrations among children 6–23 months but it was negatively associated with Hb concentrations among children 48–59 months (Table 3a)
Minimum dietary diversity was weakly associated with reduced prevalence of anaemia only among children 6–23 months this relationship disappeared in the multiple regression model
Summary
Undernutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, is a leading cause of maternal and child mortality and morbidity [1,2,3,4,5]. The global prevalence of anaemia among children under five is estimated to be about 47.4% [7] In developing countries, it affects 46–66% of children aged under five years [8]. Dietary diversity, defined as the number of different food groups consumed over a given reference period, has been identified as a useful measure for overall quality and nutrient adequacy of the diet that may influence blood formation. Consumption of foods from at least four food groups has been associated with a high likelihood of a child consuming at least one animalsource food and at least one fruit or vegetable, in addition to a staple food and, has been used to classify diets of children from developing countries [13,14]. The role of dietary diversity on blood biomarkers may be significant, but the evidence is limited
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