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Anemia and Iron Deficiency in Vietnamese Children, 6 to 11 Years Old

Khanh Le Nguyen Bao¹, Nga Tran Thuy², Chinh Nguyen Huu²

¹National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Vietnam bkhanhnin@gmail.com.

Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health

|April 8, 2016

Insights

Anemia affects over 11% of children aged 6-11, with many non-anemic children showing borderline iron status. This indicates a mild public health concern requiring attention to iron levels in pediatric populations.

Area of Science:

Pediatric Nutrition
Hematology
Public Health

Background:

Iron deficiency is a significant global health issue, particularly in children.
Assessing iron status requires evaluating various hematological parameters and inflammatory markers.
Childhood anemia prevalence varies, necessitating population-specific data.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the iron status and prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency in children aged 6-11 years.
To investigate the influence of inflammation on iron status assessment.
To identify associations between anthropometric measures (stunting, thinness) and iron status indicators.

Main Methods:

Cross-sectional study of 385 children (6-11 years old).
Measurement of venous blood parameters: hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, RBC, MCV, MCH, MCHC, CRP, and AGP.
Analysis of iron status, anemia, and iron deficiency prevalence, adjusted for inflammation.

Main Results:

Anemia prevalence was 11.4%, with 5.6% having iron deficiency (ID) and 0.4% having ID anemia.
Inflammation correction (using CRP and AGP) did not significantly alter ID or ID anemia prevalence.
Stunted and thin children exhibited lower Hb and ferritin levels compared to their non-stunted and normal/overweight/obese counterparts.
A notable proportion of non-anemic children displayed alert values for red blood cell indices (RBC, MCV, MCH, MCHC).

Conclusions:

While anemia prevalence represents a mild public health problem, many non-anemic children have borderline iron status.
Low red blood cell cytology values in non-anemic children suggest a need for closer monitoring of iron status.
Anthropometric indicators like stunting and thinness are associated with poorer iron status in children.

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Abstract:

In a population sample of 385 children, 6 to 11 years old, venous blood parameters-hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, red blood cell count (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP)-were determined to get insight into the iron status. The prevalence of anemia was 11.4%; 5.6% had iron deficiency (ID), whereas 0.4% had ID anemia. Correction for inflammation based on CRP and AGP did not markedly change the overall prevalence of ID and ID anemia. Stunted children had lower Hb and ferritin values compared with nonstunted children, and thin children had lower values compared with normal-weight or overweight and obese children. Many nonanemic children had alert values for RBC, MCV, MCH, and MCHC. It is concluded that although the prevalence of anemia is of the magnitude of a mild public health problem, the iron status of many nonanemic children is borderline, as indicated by a high number of children with low values for red blood cytology.

Keywords:

Vietnam anemia infection iron deficiency school children

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