Burden and determinants of anaemia among in‐school young adolescents in Ethiopia, Sudan and Tanzania

Bibliographic Data

ID15535727
AuthorsUttara Partap (0000-0002-2531-1804, Harvard Global Health Institute, corresponding author), Amare Worku Tadesse (0000-0002-7805-3191, Addis Continental Institute of Public Health), Sanjyot Shinde (0000-0001-6369-4212, Harvard Global Health Institute), Huda Sherfi (Ahfad University for Women), Isabel Mank (0000-0003-1321-1731, German Institute of Development and Sustainability), Mary Mwanyika‐Sando (0000-0002-8079-5960, Africa Academy for Public Health), Deepika Sharma (0000-0002-6641-173X, United Nations Children's Fund), Till Baernighausen (Heidelberg University), Roisin E Drysdale (0000-0003-0409-9549, University of the Witwatersrand), Alemayehu Worku (0000-0002-1146-3399, Addis Continental Institute of Public Health), Alemayehu Worku Yalew (0000-0003-3294-4236, Addis Continental Institute of Public Health Addis Ababa Ethiopia), Amani Tinkasimile (0000-0002-9401-0060, Africa Academy for Public Health), Wafaie W Fawzi (0000-0002-2908-600X, Harvard University, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume21
IssueS1
Pagese13439-e13439
Publication date2023-03-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMaternal and Child Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1740-8695 • E-ISSN: 1740-8709
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/mcn.13439
PMID36994612
OpenAlexW4361272514
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited31

Anaemia among adolescents is a global health problem. However, evidence regarding its burden and risk factors, particularly for younger adolescents and in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), remains scarce. We aimed to assess the prevalence and potential determinants of anaemia among urban and semi-urban in-school young adolescents in Ethiopia, Sudan and Tanzania. We conducted a school-based survey among 3558 adolescents aged 10-14 years. A capillary blood sample was used to assess haemoglobin concentration. We assessed anaemia prevalence and examined associations between measures at the individual, household and school levels and anaemia using Poisson regression models adjusted for school and country-level clustering. The prevalence of anaemia was 32.0% overall, and 10.8% in Ethiopia, 25.0% in Sudan and 58.3% in Tanzania. Being a boy [adjusted risk ratio (RR): 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08-1.15, p < 0.001], poorer diet quality (RR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02-1.23 p = 0.015), no school handwashing stations (RR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.20-1.32, p < 0.001) and food insecurity (RR for moderate/severe anaemia: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02-1.10, p = 0.002) were associated with increased anaemia risk. Younger age (RR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.86-0.96, p < 0.001) and increasing height-for-age z-score (RR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.91-0.95, p < 0.001) were associated with decreased anaemia risk. Associations were consistent for moderate or severe anaemia. There was no evidence of effect modification by sex. This study highlights anaemia as a public health problem and identified nutritional, dietary and hygiene measures as key risk factors of anaemia among young adolescents in SSA. School-based interventions addressing these factors could reduce the burden of anaemia in adolescence

Confidence interval · Environmental health · Poisson regression · Population · Relative risk · Tanzania · Blood donation and transfusion practices · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Demography · Iron Metabolism and Disorders · Medicine · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics