The Risk Factors of Anaemia among Children of 6 Months to 59 Months – An Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: Anemia is a common problem in childhood; especially children aged 6months to 59 months old. In Bangladesh overall, 68 % of children aged 6-59 months are anemic. Anemia impairs normal development, decreases physical exercise tolerance & intellectual performance in children which may lead to a slowdown of growth in children. It constitutes a major public health problem in young children in the developing world with wide social & economic implications. Aim of the Study: The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors of anaemia in children of 6 months to 59 months. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study and was conducted in the Department of Neonatology of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital & Institute, Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from November, 2020 to February, 2021. Result: In total 50 patients completed the study. In our study we found majority were male 28(56%) and female 22 (44%) and 6-24 months of age were 52% (26), 24-36 months of age were 26% (13), 36-59 months of age were 22% (11). accordingly, the mean hemoglobin level was about 11.48 (±1.53) g/dL which ranged from 5.5 g/dL to 14.5 g/dL,(37.3%), were anemic and only 1 (5%) of them were found to be severely anemic, whereas male 28.5 % and female 26.3% were moderately anemic and (29%) were mildly anemic. most of the respondents given colostrum 38 (76%), exclusive breastfeeding were 38%, mixed feeding at 52% respectively, low birth weight or premature birth 31 (62%), prolonged breastfeeding were 24%,early weaning at 36% and socioeconomic status were 16% respectively. Conclusion: A large proportion of hospitalized children under five years of age were found anaemic, among them iron deficiency anaemia was most common. The study result emphasizes the importance of identifying the risk factors of anaemia in this age group. Raising awareness of the problem and providing health and nutrition education will be the key interventions to prevent and control this huge public ........