Maternal Anemia as a Predictor of Childhood Anemia: Evidence from Gambian Health Data

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a significant global health problem affecting close to 2 billion people worldwide. The prevalence of IDA is higher among children younger than five years and women of reproductive age, indicating an intergenerational correlation between maternal and child anemia. This study aims to analyze the association between maternal and child anemia in The Gambia.

A nationally representative dataset comprising 3249 children under the age of five, obtained from The Gambia Demographic and Health Survey (2019-2020), was utilized for empirical analyses. Multivariate linear regression models were employed to assess the association between maternal and child anemia. The multivariate models were adjusted for various confounding variables, including birth order, age, and the gender of the child, as well as maternal education, religion, wealth quintiles, rural residence, and region-fixed effects.

Fifty-three percent of children and 52% of mothers are anemic. Children from poorer households show a higher rate of anemia compared to those from wealthier households. Maternal anemia was significantly associated with the anemia status of the children. Children born to anemic mothers were 13.5% more likely to be also anemic (p < 0.001). The correlation coefficient between mother and child hemoglobin levels is 0.165 (p < 0.001). The correlation coefficient between maternal and child anemia is higher among the bottom three wealth quintiles than the top two wealth quintiles.

The significant intergenerational association between maternal and child anemia status highlights the need for targeted, multi-pronged strategies to combat the adverse impacts of anemia. Maternal anemia, in general, appears to influence childhood anemia beyond just the pregnancy period. Shared socioeconomic environment, dietary patterns, and exposure to infections likely contribute to this intergenerational association.