Untreated anaemia in children can pose serious effects on growth and health of a child. Children with untreated anaemia may develop mental and health problems that can lead to poor reading ability and consequently lead to poor academic performance in early childhood education. In Zambia, 58% of children aged 6-59 months had anaemia in 2018 as evidenced by the national wide Demographic and Health Survey. This study aimed at establishing the determinants of prevalence of anaemia in children aged 6-59 months in Zambia. The 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey collected information on the children at household level. A sample of 7,755 children were tested for anaemia. Binary logistic regression was performed to determine the relative risk of anaemia in children by selected characteristics of their mothers.
Prevalence of anaemia is reported higher in children aged 9-11 months and 12-17 months compared with those aged 48-59 months. Children born from young mothers have a higher prevalence of anaemia compared with children born to older mothers. Age of both the child and the mother are significant contributing factors of prevalence of anaemia in children in Zambia. It is recommended that the government and stakeholders should consider interventions such as health facility routine screening and early treatment plans directly targeting children age 9-17 months.
Impact Factor
2022: 6.012
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