Prevalence and risk factors of iron deficiency anemia among children in Yemen

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most common nutritional anemia and considered a major public health problem worldwide. This cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of IDA among 187 children aged below 15 years from rural areas in Yemen. Clinical data was collected by measuring hemoglobin level (Hb), serum iron (SI), serum ferritin (SF), and total iron binding capacity (TIBC). Moreover, fecal samples were collected and examined for the presence of intestinal parasites. Demographic and socioeconomic data was collected by a pretested questionnaire. The overall prevalence of anemia and IDA was 48.7% and 34.2%, respectively with IDA represents 70.2% of all anemia cases. Univariate analysis showed significant associations between IDA and age, gender, parent educational level, monthly household income, intestinal parasitic infections. However, gender (female), low household monthly income and low level of mothers’ education were retained by multivariate analysis as the risk factors of IDA. In conclusion, IDA is a serious health problem among children in rural Yemen and there is a need for national intervention strategies and programs to improve the socioeconomic status and health education which will help significantly in controlling anemia and IDA among these children.