Analysis on prevalence of anemia among children under 12-year-old in Yinzhou District, Ningbo city

Objective To understand the prevalence of anemia in Yinzhou district, Ningbo and to find out its related affecting hemoglobin level of children so as to search for proper intervention. Methods One thousand six hundred and fifty children under 12 years old and their families from 11 towns in Yinzhou district were studied using stratified random sampling from June, 2012 to May, 2014. Physical examination, hemoglobin test and feeding habit survey were done. Results The anemia rate of 1 650 children was 7.6%(126/1 650),it was 7.3%(57/779) in female children,while 7.9%(69/871) in male children.Many factors were associated with children's anemia, the incidence of anemia of 1-6 year-old children was significantly higher than those of 0-1 year-old children and 6-12 year-old children (P<0.05). The incidence of anemia in rural areas was higher than those in urban areas (P<0.05), and the incidence of anemia in single parent families was higher than that in two-parent families (P<0.05), the incidence of anemia in children with stable and highly educated caregivers is relatively low (P<0.05), but it has nothing to do with sex, the number of compatriots, and the time for breastfeeding. The main causes of 126 cases of children with anemia were iron deficiency anemia and megaloblastic anemia. The concentration of peripheral blood SF, ZnPP, FA and VitB₁₂ in children with anemia were detected, SF in the 1- year-old children was significantly lower than the other two groups. ZnPP was normal in 0-year-old children, but was significantly higher than the other two groups. FA and VitB₁₂ concentrations were normal in three age group, but the concentration of FA in the 6-year-old children was higher than the other two groups. Conclusion The anemia rate of children in this area is still high. The incidence of children in the 1-6 year-old group is the highest, and iron deficiency anemia and megaloblastic anemia are the main reasons. It is necessary to intervene from many aspects simultaneously.