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Updated: Jun 23, 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

Anemia and Its Associated Factors Among Children Aged 6-23 Months in Nine Sub-Saharan African Countries: A Multilevel

Temesgen Gebeyehu Wondmeneh1

  • 1Department of Public Health, College of Medical and Health Science Samara University Semera Ethiopia.

Health Science Reports
|June 22, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Anemia affects over 62% of children in sub-Saharan Africa, with factors like maternal education and nutrition influencing severity. Updated World Health Organization (WHO) thresholds reveal this persistent public health challenge.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Anemia is a significant health issue in children aged 6-23 months in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Previous prevalence estimates may have been inflated due to outdated World Health Organization (WHO) hemoglobin cutoffs.
  • This study utilizes the latest 2024 WHO thresholds to reassess anemia burden and associated factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the current prevalence of anemia in children aged 6-23 months across nine sub-Saharan African countries.
  • To identify factors associated with anemia severity using updated WHO 2024 criteria.
  • To inform targeted public health interventions for anemia reduction.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data (2021-2024).
  • Inclusion of a weighted sample of 14,480 children aged 6-23 months.
  • Application of a multilevel proportional odds model to analyze anemia severity and associated factors, reporting adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Main Results:

  • Overall anemia prevalence was 62.04%, with 2.94% severe, 31.96% moderate, and 28.14% mild.
  • Factors associated with lower anemia severity included higher maternal education, health insurance, adequate antenatal care, deworming, and diverse diets.
  • Factors linked to more severe anemia included fever, underweight status, and multiple births.

Conclusions:

  • Anemia remains a critical public health concern in the studied sub-Saharan African nations, even with updated WHO thresholds.
  • Key interventions should focus on enhancing maternal education, child nutrition, infection prevention, and healthcare access.
  • Addressing these factors is crucial for mitigating the severity of childhood anemia.
Abstract

Keywords:
Sub‐Saharan Africaanemiaassociated factorschildren aged 6–23 monthsdemographic and health survey (DHS)proportional odds model

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