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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

A Point-of-Care Method with Integrated Decision Support Tool to Estimate Anemia at Population Level
05:35

A Point-of-Care Method with Integrated Decision Support Tool to Estimate Anemia at Population Level

Published on: January 19, 2024

Associations between maternal and child anemia and development outcomes: evidence from a large cross-sectional

Hermano Alexandre Lima Rocha1, Sabrina Gabriele Maia Oliveira Rocha2, Marcia Maria Tavares Machado2

  • 1Community Health Department, Federal University of Ceará, Rua Papi Júnior, 1223, 5th. Floor, Fortaleza, CE, 60430-235, Brazil. hermano@ufc.br.

BMC Public Health
|June 19, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Child anemia severity impacts development. Mild anemia is linked to fine motor delays, while moderate-to-severe anemia is associated with gross motor delays, especially in older children. Targeted interventions are crucial.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Nutritional Anemia

Background:

  • Maternal and child anemia are global health concerns.
  • Anemia's impact on child development requires further investigation, particularly concerning severity and age-specific effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal and child anemia and child development up to 72 months.
  • To explore the influence of anemia severity and age on specific developmental domains.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study of 2,473 children in Ceará, Brazil.
  • Hemoglobin measured using HemoCue Hb 201.
  • Child development assessed using Ages and Stages Questionnaires-Brazil (ASQ-BR).

Main Results:

  • Overall child anemia was not associated with developmental delays or continuous domain z-scores.
  • Mild child anemia correlated with increased fine motor delay.
  • Moderate-to-severe child anemia correlated with increased gross motor delay.
  • In older children (49-72 months), anemia severity was linked to lower scores in gross motor, fine motor, and problem-solving domains.

Conclusions:

  • Anemia severity and timing are critical factors in child development outcomes.
  • Findings highlight the need for targeted interventions for anemic children based on severity and age.
  • Early detection and management of anemia are essential for optimal child development.

Keywords:
AnaemiaChild developmentCross-sectional studiesEpidemiologyMaternal and child health

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