Abstract
Anaemia is a major public health problem among children < 5 years of age in Bangladesh due to recurrent intestinal parasite infections. The aim of this study was to understand the association between combining deworming and MNP home fortification (MNP + Deworming) and the prevalence of anaemia among children < 5 years of age in Bangladesh. We used pooled data from five cross-sectional surveys and performed multivariable logistic regression and calculated crude and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) to quantify the association of anaemia with the exposure variables. A total of 9948 households were considered for this paper. In the unadjusted logistic regression, no significant association was detected between the effective MNP coverage and anaemia prevalence, but the associations were significant (p < 0.001) between the deworming and anaemia prevalence and between the MNP + Deworming condition and anaemia prevalence. In the adjusted model, children who were exposed to both deworming and effective MNP coverage were 30% (AOR 0.70; 95% CI 0.52, 0.94; p = 0.018) less likely to be anaemic compared with children who were unexposed to combined MNP + Deworming. The combined effects of deworming and MNP supplementation on the reduction in anaemia prevalence highlighted the importance of using integrated and multidisciplinary intervention strategies.
Highlights
Approximately 40% of children aged 6–59 months suffer from anaemia [1].This condition is a major public health problem, among children < 5 years of age, in many low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh
We found significant associations between the outcome and exposure variables; we considered two exposure variables—deworming and micronutrient powders (MNPs) + Deworming—and we calculated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) to measure whether the exposures had any significant associations with anaemia prevalence
The children who were exposed to both deworming and effective MNP coverage were 30% less likely to be anaemic compared with the children who were unexposed to combined MNP + Deworming
Summary
Approximately 40% of children aged 6–59 months suffer from anaemia [1]. This condition is a major public health problem, among children < 5 years of age, in many low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh. The latest available national data indicated that more than half of Bangladeshi preschool children suffered from anaemia in 2011 [2]. It decreases children’s’ ability to fight infections, which increase childhood morbidity and mortality [5,6]. A recent paper reported that anaemia is responsible for 5–18% of mortality among children under 5 years of age in Africa [6]
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