Prevalence and determinants of anemia among primary school pupils of a peri-urban community in Osun State, Nigeria.

This study was carried out to ascertain the prevalence of anemia and the determinants among primary school pupils in a peri-urban community.

METHODS

The study is a descriptive cross sectional study of 141 pupils selected by a stratified sampling technique. Interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic variables, nutritional habits among others. General physical examination, Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and anthropometric measurements for determining Body-Mass Indices (BMI) were then determined.

RESULTS

Of 139 pupils, only 3 (2.1%) had normal values (BMI of 18.6-25 kg/m2) while 133 (95.7%) were underweight (BMI of 13-18.5 kg/m2) and others wasted (BMI < 13 kg/m2). None were overweight or obese. Only 38 (27.3%) of the respondents had a normal PCV; 94 (67.6%) had mild anemia, and 7 (5.0%) had moderate anemia. None had severe anemia. The mean PCV among the males was 31.06% +/- 3.46 and among the female: 31.25% +/- 4.26.Among respondents less than 6 years old, 23 (85.2%) were anemic, 82.7% among those 6-10 years, and 43.2% among 11-15 years old. The difference was statistically significant (p = .0000). A higher proportion of males, 52 (76.5%) than females 49 (69.0%) were anemic (not statistically significant, p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that pupils in Osun State, Nigeria have a high prevalence of anemia and that younger pupils have a higher prevalence and physical consequences of anemia than older pupils. Most of the children were found to be malnourished. Further research is recommended on other possible causes of anemia, such as the prevalence of intestinal worms and hemoglobinopathy.