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Published on: January 19, 2024

Five decades of trends in anemia in Israeli infants: implications for food fortification policy

D N Kaluski1, A Leventhal, Y Averbuch

  • 1Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel. tropic@netvision.net.il

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
|April 18, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in Israeli infants significantly decreased after 1985 public health directives. However, persistently high rates in Arab infants suggest a need for improved dietary iron through food fortification.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Public Health Policy
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is a significant global health concern in infants.
  • Understanding secular trends and population-specific disparities in IDA is crucial for effective public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze trends in infant IDA prevalence in Israel from 1946 to 1997.
  • To identify differences in IDA rates between Jewish and Arab infants.
  • To evaluate the impact of 1985 public health directives on iron supplementation and cow's milk avoidance.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of published and unpublished cross-sectional studies on infant IDA.
  • Analysis of hemoglobin data from 1-year-old infants (Jewish and Arab) from 1946-1997.
  • Comparative analysis of IDA rates before and after 1985 public health directives.

Main Results:

  • IDA prevalence in Jewish infants decreased from 68% (1946) to 11% (1996), with an accelerated decline post-1985 directives.
  • IDA rates in Arab infants showed an average annual decline of -3.7% but remained nearly double those of Jewish infants.
  • The 1985 directives significantly improved the rate of IDA reduction in Jewish infants.

Conclusions:

  • Public health directives on iron supplementation contributed to reduced IDA in Israeli infants.
  • Persistently high IDA rates, especially in Arab infants, indicate insufficient dietary iron intake.
  • National food fortification programs using staple foods are recommended to address ongoing iron deficiency.
Abstract

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