Prevalence and predictors of anemia among six-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Anemia is asignificant public health problem among children worldwide. The etiology of anemia is multifactorial but iron deficiency (ID) is the most common cause of anemia in low andmiddle-income countries. ID and anemia in infancy can impair growth and cognitive development. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of ane mia amongsix-week-old infants in Kwale County, Kenya. This cross-sectional study included 424 mother-infant pairs. Structured questionnaires were administered to the moth ers to obtain information on socio-demographic variables, maternal characteristics and birth information. Anthropometric data was collected for each child. A heel prick was done to measure hemoglobin andzinc protoporphyrin concentration levels. Chi-square test, bivari ate and multivariate regression analyses were done to determine factors associated with anemia. The prevalence of ID, anemia and IDA was 60.4% (95%CI:55.9–65.2), 21.0% (95%CI: 17.5–25.2) and 15.8% (95%CI: 12.7–19.7) respectively. Bivariate analysis showed that the risk of anemia was significantly higher among male infants (odds ratio (OR) = 2.20 (95%CI: 1.33–3.63), p = 0.002), iron deficient infants (OR = 2.35 (95%CI: 1.39–3.99), p = 0.001) and infants from Msambweni Sub-County (OR =2.80 (95%CI: 1.40–4.62), p<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that odds of anemia were significantly higher in infants born to mothers who didnot use iron supplements during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) =74.01 (95%CI: 2.45–2238.21), p = 0.013 and significantly lower in infants born to mothers with parity � 4 (aOR =0.05((95%CI: 0.00–0.77), p = 0.024). In six-week-old infants in rural Kenya, anemia prevalence was 21.0% with ID accounting for 75.3% of anemia cases. Given the physical and cognitive impairments associated with ID and anemia in early infancy, it may be prudent to re-evaluate the current Kenyan pediatric protocols to include anemia screening and potential treatment of infants less than 6-months of age.