Abstract
Anemia, or chronic malnutrition, in children under 5 is a social problem that affects the infant crucially in his or her growth and cognitive development. However, this problem presents itself in different ways in each department of Peru. Thus, in this work, the methodology of grey clustering, which is based on grey systems theory, was applied. The case study was conducted in the 25 departments of Peru, to analyze the departments most affected by chronic malnutrition in children under 5 years of age. The results of the study were that the departments of Cajamarca, Huancavelica, Loreto and Pasco have the highest rate of children with anemia; this may be due to the fact that these departments have greater poverty or negligence with respect to proper food handling. The results of this study could help local authorities such as the Ministry of Health to combat malnutrition, and also serve as a basis for future studies to evaluate the social impact of other conditions on health from a mathematical perspective.
Highlights
One of the public health problems that most afflicts the global population is anemia; which is the most frequent and most widespread, and affects the most vulnerable populations such as infants and women of reproductive age as stated by [1] according to [2]
The result is shown below according to the levels of anemia obtained according to the Grey clustering methodology
The results obtained for the case study on the prevalence of anemia in children under 5 years of age are of interest, since it has been possible to identify the departments with the highest rate of the condition (Huancavelica, Loreto, Pasco and Cajamarca)
Summary
One of the public health problems that most afflicts the global population is anemia; which is the most frequent and most widespread, and affects the most vulnerable populations such as infants and women of reproductive age as stated by [1] according to [2]. It is a complex condition that occurs when there is a shortage of red blood cells in the body to adequately meet physiological needs [4]. In this regard, WHO stated that 528.7 million women and 273.2 million children under 5 years of age were anemic by 2011 worldwide [5]. WHO stated that 528.7 million women and 273.2 million children under 5 years of age were anemic by 2011 worldwide [5] This is alarming given that, in the case of preschool children, it affects their growth and destabilizes their nutrients [6]. In the case of Peru, according to a technical report published by the Ministry of Health, [7] it is estimated that 6 out of 10 children between the ages of 6 and 12 months present anemia, a worrisome reality that requires greater monitoring
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