The Prevalence of Anemia and Associated Factors among Children under 5 years in Zakho City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Armishty, Farhad Shaker; Mohammed, Lina Yousif; Ibrahim, Ronahi Y.; Yaseen, Iman Haji; Omar, Amna A.; Jameel, Dalal A.; Khattab, Omar; Rajab, Berivan R.; Shareef, Aveen Saleem; Ahmed, Maryam M.; Husain, Snor Hassan; Nizar, Dunya P.; Ahmad, Hevy A.

doi:10.24271/psr.2023.390463.1287

The Prevalence of Anemia and Associated Factors among Children under 5 years in Zakho City, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Farhad Shaker Armishty ¹

Lina Yousif Mohammed ²

Ronahi Y. Ibrahim ²

Iman Haji Yaseen ²

Amna A. Omar ²

Dalal A. Jameel ²

Omar Khattab ²

Berivan R. Rajab ²

Aveen Saleem Shareef ²

Maryam M. Ahmed ²

Snor Hassan Husain ²

Dunya P. Nizar ³

Hevy A. Ahmad ³

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Zakho, Zakho, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.

² Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Zakho, Zakho, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

³ Junior House Officer Directorate of Health, Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.

10.24271/psr.2023.390463.1287

Abstract

Abstract:
Background: Anaemia is a lower concentration of hemoglobin and red blood cells. Nearly 1.62 billion individuals worldwide suffer from anaemia, of which approximately 47% are preschool-aged children. Anaemia due to iron deficiency can be prevented by breastfeeding, taking formula with iron, avoiding cow's milk before the age of 1, and including iron-rich foods in the diet.

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anaemia in children under the age of five who were admitted to Zakho General Hospital.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2022 to February 2023 among children under 5 years in Zakho city. 1404 children were recruited in this study and the ages ranged from six months to five years. A spectrophotometric method is typically used to assess anaemia by measuring the haemoglobin (Hb) concentration.
Results: The children that participated in this study were 1404, ages 6 months to 60 months (23.01± 14.77). Age and anaemia were significantly correlated (p-value <0.01), with a higher prevalence of anaemia in younger age groups. In children aged 6 months to less than 24 months, the history of breastfeeding was significantly correlated with anaemia; 164 (59%) of the 278 children with a history of breastfeeding had anaemia (p-value <0.0001). Anaemia and meats consumption were significantly correlated (p-value= 0.007). The frequency of eggs consumption, the size of the family, and the maternal education level did not significantly affect anaemia.
Conclusion: Among children under the age of five, particularly those under two, anaemia is disturbingly widespread, according to our study. As a result, enhanced nutritional therapy and a strong public health education campaign may assist in reducing the prevalence of this hematologic health concern.

Keywords

Anemia

children

prevalence

Zakho City

Kurdistan

Iraq