Prevalence of Anaemia and Iron Deficiency among Primary Schoolchildren in Malaysia.

Shoo Lee,Ab Noor Afifah,Awal Siti Hanisa,Penny George,Abu Norazida,Safii Nik Shanita,Bee Poh,Ilse Khouw,Kar Chong,A Norimah,Siti Budin

doi:10.3390/ijerph15112332

Abstract

The present study aimed to report the prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency (ID) and to explore the associations among socio-demographic characteristics, nutritional status and inflammation status in the occurrence of anaemia and ID in a nationally representative sample of Malaysian primary schoolchildren. Using data from the South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS), 544 Malaysian children aged 7 to 12 years were included in this secondary analysis. Blood samples were drawn for haemoglobin and serum ferritin analysis while C-reactive protein (CRP) and α-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) were measured to detect inflammation. Prevalence of anaemia and ID were 4.0% and 5.2%, respectively. There were significantly more anaemic indigenous bumiputra children (9.9%) than Chinese children (0.6%). Correction for inflammation did not change the prevalence of ID. More overweight/obese children than thin/normal weight children were found to have elevated acute phase protein (APP). Children with elevated inflammatory markers had significantly higher ferritin level than children without inflammation. Periodic health assessments of anaemia and ID at the population level to monitor and clarify the epidemiology of health problems are required to inform public health policies and strategies.

Highlights

Around 600 million preschool and school-aged children are affected by anaemia [1].According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [2], 65.5% of preschool children in SoutheastAsia are anaemic
This study reports the nationwide prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency (ID), and the associations among socio-demographic characteristics, nutritional status and inflammation status in the occurrence of anaemia and ID among Malaysian primary schoolchildren
Our findings showed that the prevalence of anaemia and ID were low among primary schoolchildren in Malaysia

Summary

Introduction

Around 600 million preschool and school-aged children are affected by anaemia [1].According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [2], 65.5% of preschool children in SoutheastAsia are anaemic. Around 600 million preschool and school-aged children are affected by anaemia [1]. The consequences of anaemia in children have been shown to include impaired cognitive performance [4], behavioural problems [5], as well as reproductive disturbances in adolescent girls [6]. Iron deficiency (ID) has been identified as a contributing factor to anaemia. This comes no surprise as iron is the most commonly deficient micronutrient in both developing and industrialized countries [2,3]. In countries where thalassemia is a public health problem, these inherited genetic disorder could result in haemolytic anaemia [7]

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion