Prevalence and Risk Factors of Iron Deficiency Anemia Among School-Going Children in Urban and Rural Settings
- Dr Adees Ahmed, Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad
- Saif Pervaiz, Div HQ teaching hospital, Mirpur ajk
- Dr Nazish Khaleeq, Poonch medical college Rawalakot
- Dr Baddar Sattar, PMC
- Qaisar Liaquat, Jinnah Hospital Lahore.
- Husnain Javaid, Karam Bhari Memorial Hospital Dhadhumber Rawalpindi
.
ABSTRACT:
Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) had continued to be one of the most common nutritional conditions among school-going children across the globe especially in the developing nations. It had been linked to poor cognitive functioning, low physical functioning, and high vulnerability to infections. The urban-rural differences in diet habits, socioeconomic status and access to healthcare had been taken into account as significant factors that affect the burden of IDA amongst children.
Aim: The study was also intended to establish the prevalence and risk factors of iron deficiency anemia amongst school going children in the urban and rural areas.
Methods: This cross-sectional study of the accuracy of the diagnosis was done at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, between February 2023 and July 2023. Eighty children that were suspected clinically of anemia were recruited by non-probability consecutive sampling. A structured proforma had been used to collect detailed demographic information, dietary history, socioeconomic status and clinical findings. The blood samples had been collected to determine the levels of hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and red cell indices. Iron deficiency anemia was proven with the help of serum ferritin as the reference standard, and other lab parameters were evaluated based on sensitivity and specificity. The data had been analyzed with the help of SPSS 25.0 and chi-square and logistic regression analysis were conducted to determine the associations between IDA and the possible risk factors, and p under 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The general occurrence of iron deficiency anemia amongst the participants had been 46.3%. In children in rural areas (55.0) and urban areas (37.5), they had been more prevalent with IDA. Poor socioeconomic status (p = 0.01), inadequate dietary iron consumption (p = 0.003), high intake of tea with meals (p = 0.02) and past parasitic infections (p = 0.04) had been found as important risk factors. There had also been a little more prevalence of female gender as compared to males. The six lab parameters analyzed had shown satisfactory sensitivity and specificity in the detection of IDA as compared to the serum ferritin levels.
Conclusion: The level of iron deficiency anemia among school-going children, especially in the rural areas, had been very high. The factors that had been found to contribute were socioeconomic deprivation, poor dietary habits and parasitism of the host. Primary prevention and nutritional interventions through early screening of the population were advised in terms of alleviating the burden of IDA in the both the urban and rural populations.
Keywords: Iron deficiency anemia, school-going children, prevalence, risk factor, urban, rural, serum ferritin, sensitivity, specificity.