Factors associated with iron deficiency anemia in Brazilian preschool children.

OBJECTIVE To examine the determining factors of anemia and iron deficiency in children attending two day care centers in the town of Pontal, southeast of Brazil. METHODS Cross-sectional study was conducted in 192 children aged 12 to 72 months. Personal data (age, sex, use of medicinal iron supplements, duration of breast-feeding, type of delivery, prenatal care, weight, and height), and socioeconomic data (number of co-inhabitants, parental schooling, and per capita family income) were obtained and evaluated together with hemoglobin, serum transferrin receptor, ferritin, and iron deficiency anemia. RESULTS Age was the variable that most affected iron nutritional status, with higher hemoglobin values, lower transferrin receptor concentrations, higher ferritin values and lower iron deficiency anemia being detected with increasing age. The other studied variables did not show any correlation with iron nutritional status. CONCLUSION The obtained data suggest that control strategies for this preschool population should be especially directed at younger children.