Identifying predictors of childhood anaemia in north-east India.

Sanku Dey,Tanujit Dey,Sankar Goswami

doi:10.3329/jhpn.v31i4.20001

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the factors that influence the occurrence of childhood anaemia in North-East India by exploring dataset of the Reproductive and Child Health-II Survey (RCH-II). The study population consisted of 10,137 children in the age-group of 0-6 year(s) from North-East India to explore the predictors of childhood anaemia by means of different background characteristics, such as place of residence, religion, household standard of living, literacy of mother, total children ever born to a mother, age of mother at marriage. Prevalence of anaemia among children was taken as a polytomous variable. The predicted probabilities of anaemia were established via multinomial logistic regression model. These probabilities provided the degree of assessment of the contribution of predictors in the prevalence of childhood anaemia. The mean haemoglobin concentration in children aged 0-6 year(s) was found to be 11.85 g/dL, with a standard deviation of 5.61 g/dL. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that rural children were at greater risk of severe (OR = 2.035; p = 0.003) and moderate (OR = 1.23; p = 0.003) anaemia. All types of anaemia (severe, moderate, and mild) were more prevalent among Hindu children (OR = 2.971; p = 0.000), (OR = 1.195; p = 0.010), and (OR = 1.201; p = 0.011) than among children of other religions whereas moderate (OR = 1.406; p = 0.001) and mild (OR = 1.857; p=0.000) anaemia were more prevalent among Muslim children. The fecundity of the mother was found to have significant effect on anaemia. Women with multiple children were prone to greater risk of anaemia. The multiple logistic regression analysis also confirmed that children of literate mothers were comparatively at lesser risk of severe anaemia. Mother's age at marriage had a significant effect on anaemia of their children as well.

Highlights

Childhood anaemia is a major public-health concern, with an increasing risk of mortality
The study reveals that rural children were at greater risk of severe (OR=2.035; p=0.003) and moderate (OR=1.230; p=0.003) anaemia compared to urban children (Table 4.1 and 4.2)
Our analysis suggests that children born to literate women were more likely to have moderate

Summary

Introduction

Childhood anaemia is a major public-health concern, with an increasing risk of mortality. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, reports that it is one of the most common diseases due to nutritional deficiency in the world today, and more than half of the population in India is anaemic. Anaemia is a common conundrum of nutritional deficiency worldwide, and its prevalence is higher in developing countries than developed countries [2,3]. Almost 34% of the world population suffers from iron deficiency, with 80% belonging to developing countries where the prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency is approximately 40% whereas, in developed countries, the occurrence of anaemia is lower than 10% [4]. WHO lists iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) as one of the “top ten risk factors contributing to death” [5]. A study by National Family Health Survey-2 (NFHS-2) [9] found the occurrence

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