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BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Folic Acid | Research article

Anaemia among adolescent girls in three districts in Ethiopia

Authors: Seifu Hagos Gebreyesus, Bilal Shikur Endris, Getahun Teka Beyene, Alinoor Mohamed Farah, Fekadu Elias, Hana Nekatebeb Bekele

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Adolescence is characterized by rapid growth and development with a significantly increased need for macro and micronutrients. However, there is little empirical evidence on the burden of anaemia among adolescent girls in developing countries such as Ethiopia. This study aims to address this gap by evaluating the magnitude of anaemia with an aim to guide design of intervention modalities to address anaemia among adolescent girls.

Methods

The study employed a community based cross sectional design. The study was conducted on weekends to capture both in school and out of school adolescent girls. Data was collected from a total 1323 adolescent girls. From each district, we randomly selected villages and ensured that the sampled households had a range geographical spread (lowlands, highlands) within the larger category of rural and urban. We performed anaemia testing using HemoCue B-Haemoglobin analyser. We applied a complex survey data analysis method to estimate the level of anaemia. The hemoglobin level was adjusted for altitude and smoking status. We ran a logistic regression model to evaluate predictors of anaemia.

Results

The overall anaemia prevalence ranged from 24 to 38%, with an average rate of 29%. Less than half of the girls heard the term anaemia, and about one third knew the relationship between anaemia and the intake of iron rich foods. The risk of anaemia is higher among adolescent girls in their early adolescence period (10–14 years) (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR); 1.98; 95% CI; 1.03, 3.82] and among adolescent girls who lived in moderately food insecure households (AOR 1.48; 95% CI; 1.05–2.09). However, knowing the term “anaemia” was found to be protective against the risk of anaemia.

Conclusions

The risk of anaemia was particularly high among adolescent girls in their early age and among those living in food insecure households. The prevalence of anaemia among adolescent girls is a moderate public health problem. According to the WHO set criteria, the districts could be candidates for intermittent iron and Folic acid supplementation program.
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Metadata
Title
Anaemia among adolescent girls in three districts in Ethiopia
Authors
Seifu Hagos Gebreyesus
Bilal Shikur Endris
Getahun Teka Beyene
Alinoor Mohamed Farah
Fekadu Elias
Hana Nekatebeb Bekele
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Keyword
Folic Acid
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6422-0

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