Survey of Differences in Cost of Diets of Anemic and Nonanemic Children

Abstract

The sample studied consisted of 100 randomly selected, nonchronically ill children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years coming for pediatric care at the Wayne County General Hospital Acute Care Clinic in Eloise, Mich. A questionnaire to fill out was given each adult accompanying the participating child. The following information was requested: (a) identifying data-name, sex, age, race, and parental birthplace and educational level; (b) place where groceries were bought (large or small store); and (c) 24-hour diet recall for the previous day. Hemoglobin level, hematocrit value, red blood cell count, reticulocyte count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were obtained on each child. Because food for our patient population was bought in large grocery stores by better than 90 percent of the families, we selected a 10 percent random sample of large stores serving our population to investigate food prices. Prices were obtained for all items listed in the diet of the children in our sample. The price of food per day per child was calculated from the items listed in the diet recall for the previous 24 hours. The children were divided into anemic and nonanemic groups. Criterion for iron deficiency anemia was set at a hemoglobin level of 10 gm. per 100 cc. of blood. In order to rule out sickle cell anemia, those patients classified as anemic were further studied if their reticulocyte count was more than 2 percent. Those patients having an identified chronic illness or discovered to have sickle cell disease or trait, or those receiving medicinal iron were eliminated.