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Prevalence and Risk Factors of Anaemia among Children Aged between 6 Months and 14 Years in Kenya

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  • Oscar Ngesa
  • Henry Mwambi

Abstract

Background: Anaemia is one of the significant public health problems among children in the world. Understanding risk factors of anaemia provides more insight to the nature and types of policies that can be put up to fight anaemia. We estimated the prevalence and risk factors of anaemia in a population-based, cross-sectional survey. Methodology: Blood samples from 11,711 children aged between 6 months and 14 years were collected using a single-use, spring-loaded, sterile lancet to make a finger prick. Anaemia was measured based on haemoglobin concentration level. The generalized linear model framework was used to analyse the data, in which the response variable was either a child was anemic or not anemic. Results: The overall prevalence of anaemia among the children in Kenya was estimated to be 28.8%. The risk of anaemia was found to decrease with age progressively with increase in each year of age; children below 1 year were at highest risk of anaemia. The risk of anaemia was significantly higher in male than female children. Mothers with secondary and above education had a protective effect on the risk of anaemia on their children. Malaria diagnosis status of a child was positively associated with risk anaemia. Conclusion: Controlling co-morbidity of malaria and improving maternal knowledge are potential options for reducing the burden of anaemia.

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  • Oscar Ngesa & Henry Mwambi, 2014. "Prevalence and Risk Factors of Anaemia among Children Aged between 6 Months and 14 Years in Kenya," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(11), pages 1-10, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0113756
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113756
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    Cited by:

    1. Ghosh, Pritam, 2023. "Determinants and transition of anaemia among under-five children from different social groups in India from 2005–06 to 2015-16," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    2. Faustin Habyarimana & Temesgen Zewotir & Shaun Ramroop, 2017. "Structured Additive Quantile Regression for Assessing the Determinants of Childhood Anemia in Rwanda," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, June.
    3. Emmanuel Anongeba Anaba & Aaron Asibi Abuosi & Joshua Cobby Azilaku & Jacqueline Nkrumah, 2020. "Association between health insurance membership and anaemia among children under-five years. Evidence from Ghana," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(9), pages 1-11, September.
    4. Angesom Gebreweld & Neima Ali & Radiya Ali & Temesgen Fisha, 2019. "Prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among children under five years of age attending at Guguftu health center, South Wollo, Northeast Ethiopia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(7), pages 1-13, July.

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