Prevalence of anemia in infants and children aged 6-23 months at different altitudes in poverty-stricken areas in China

Abstract

To describe the hemoglobin and prevalence of anemia among 6-23 months infants at different elevations in poor rural areas in China. The monitoring data in the year 2018 from the Children Nutrition Improvement Project in Poor Areas of China was used for the analysis, which covered 19 provinces and 42 938 infants of 6-23 months. Hemoglobin was tested by Hemoque method with blood drop from finger tips. The altitude of the residence regions was divided into eight parts. Analysis of variance was used to compare the mean values among the altitude groups, and chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of anaemia. The data from 42 938 6-23 months infants was under analysis, among them 22 207(51.7%)were boys and 20 731(48.4%)girls. 27 208(63.4%)infants and children were located in the areas under 1000 meters whose average hemoglobin was 11.8 g/dL and the prevalence of anemia was 18.7%. There were 15 730(36.6%)infants living in areas higher than 1000 meters. The anemia rate ranged from 31.3% to 83.6% in all aged groups when altitude& gt; 2500 m that were noticeable higher than that of lower altitude regions. With the increase of altitude, the adjusted anemic rate showed an obvious upward trend. 6-11 months infants showed higher anemia rate compared with other groups. The incidence of anemia among children aged 6 to 23 months in poor areas of China is severe, among which infants living at an altitude of more than 2500 meters have a higher prevalence of anemia.