Prevalence of anemia among children aged 6-59 months in the Ntele camp for internally displaced persons (Cabo Delgado, Mozambique): a preliminary study.

Abstract

In July 2022, we conducted a pilot cross-sectional study, within a project funded by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, to investigate the prevalence and predictors of anemia in children aged 6-59 months living in the Ntele camp (Mozambique), created for internally displaced persons (IDPs). We analyzed blood samples for hemoglobin (Hb) and Plasmodium antigens; stool and urine for parasites. Associations between variables were assessed by performing univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Based on the World Health Organization's Hb cut-offs, we defined anemia (Hb < 110 g/L) as mild (Hb = 100-109 g/L), moderate (Hb = 70-99 g/L), and severe (Hb < 70 g/L). We included 245 children, 212 (83%) were anemic, with 30 (12%) being severely anemic, and 95 (39%) suffered from malaria. Children with moderate-severe anemia were younger than others (mean age = 25.3 and 29.5 months, respectively; p = 0.02). Malaria was positively correlated with moderate to severe anemia (crude OR [95%CI] = 2.5 [1.5-4.5]; sex and age-adjusted OR [95%CI] = 3.1 [1.7-5.6]). Anemia in children under 5 years of age represents an urgent public health threat in the IDPs camp of Ntele, with malaria potentially making them much more susceptible to moderate-severe anemia and other diseases.