SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALpediatrics, public health

cross-sectional·pediatrics, public health, epidemiology, nutrition, micronutrients·PMC10508009

Factors associated with anemia among school-going adolescents aged 10–17 years in Zanzibar, Tanzania: a cross sectional study

BMC Public Health · 11 authors, 3 centres

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TL;DR

A cross-sectional survey of 2,479 school-going adolescents aged 10–17 years in Zanzibar, Tanzania found a 53.3% prevalence of anemia, with females, stunted adolescents, and those using shared toilets having significantly higher odds of anemia.

Full summary

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This cross-sectional baseline survey enrolled 2,479 school-going adolescents aged 10–17 years from 42 schools in two districts of Zanzibar, Tanzania, between March 7th and 25th, 2022. Hemoglobin concentration was measured alongside socio-demographic, health, food frequency, and WASH data collection. Using WHO cutoffs, 53.3% of the sample had anemia, with over 20% having moderate or severe anemia. Logistic regression showed females had higher odds of anemia than males (Adjusted OR = 1.47), stunted adolescents had higher odds than non-sturbed students (Adjusted OR = 1.38), those in the highest wealth quintile had lower odds than those in the lowest (Adjusted OR = 0.7), and shared toilet users had higher odds of moderate or severe anemia than private toilet users (Adjusted OR = 1.68). Limitations include data collection in only two of seven districts and exclusively among school-going adolescents, which may limit generalizability, and the absence of dietary quantity data.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

pediatrics

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

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ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10508009

Factors associated with anemia among school-going adolescents aged 10–17 years in Zanzibar, Tanzania: a cross sectional study

BMC Public Health

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ABSTRACT

Background Anemia among adolescents (ages 10–19 years) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries and carries long-term health and economic consequences. To address the issue, policymakers and programmers require evidence of the burden of anemia among adolescents in specific contexts, as well as an understanding of the factors associated with anemia in this population. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey as a baseline assessment to determine the prevalence and factors associated with anemia in secondary school students, as part of a cluster-randomized effectiveness trial testing different micronutrient supplementation strategies in addressing anemia among adolescents in Zanzibar. Between March 7th to 25th, 2022 the survey was conducted on 2,479 school-going adolescents aged 10–17 years from 42 schools on the island of Zanzibar, Tanzania. Hemoglobin concentration was measured along with the collection of socio-demographics, health, food frequency, and water, sanitation and hygiene data. Results Based on the World Health Organization cutoffs for anemia, 53.3% of the sample had anemia (mild, moderate, or severe). Using chi-square tests and logistic regressions, we determined that females had higher odds of anemia than males (Adjusted OR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.74), those in the highest wealth quintile had lower odds of anemia than those in the lowest wealth quintile (Adjusted OR = 0.7; CI: 0.54, 0.91), stunted adolescents had higher odds of anemia than non-stunted students (Adjusted OR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.06,1.81), and those who used shared toilets had higher odds of moderate or severe anemia than those with private toilet access (Adjusted OR = 1.68; CI: 1.07, 2.64). Conclusions The high prevalence of anemia in this sample indicates an urgent need to address anemia among adolescents in Zanzibar, and the factors associated with anemia point to the importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions in addition to dietary and nutritional support. Trial Registration NCT05104554, registered 03/11/2021. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-16611-w.

CITATION EXPORT

Innocent Yusufu, Ilana R. Cliffer, Mashavu H. Yussuf et al.. Factors associated with anemia among school-going adolescents aged 10–17 years in Zanzibar, Tanzania: a cross sectional study. BMC Public Health. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16611-w

AUTHORS

11 · 3 CENTRES

Innocent Yusufu, Ilana R. Cliffer, Mashavu H. Yussuf, Cecilia Anthony, Frank Mapendo, Seif Abdulla, Mary Masanja, Amani Tinkasimile, Ali Salim Ali, Mary Mwanyika-Sando, Wafaie Fawzi

1https://ror.org/05b39cf56grid.512637.40000 0004 8340 072XAfrica Academy for Public Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
2https://ror.org/03vek6s52grid.38142.3c0000 0004 1936 754XDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, 90 Smith Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA United States of America
3Zanzibar Association for People Living with HIV/AIDS, Unguja, Zanzibar Tanzania