Work

Childhood Anemia in Mozambique: A Multilevel Mixed-Effects Analysis of 2011–2022/23 Population-Based Surveys

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background/Objectives: Anemia adversely affects children's cognitive and motor devel-25 opment and remains a global public health problem. This study aimed to identify the individual, 26 feeding, household, and community determinants of anemia among children, in Mozambique. 27 Methods: We used pooled datasets of Mozambique representative population-based surveys: the 28 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS 2022/23 and DHS 2011), the Malaria Indicator Survey 29 (2018), and the Immunization, Malaria and HIV/AIDS Indicator Survey (2015). A total sample of 30 16273 children aged 6-59 months with available hemoglobin testing was included. Multilevel mixed 31 effects analysis was performed using STATA (18.0). Results: The overall prevalence of anemia was 32 71.4%. Children aged 6-11 months were less prone to anemia than children from other age groups 33 (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.62-0.97). Children who have suffered from illnesses were more likely to 34 have anemia than those who have not (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.15 -1.74). Children who received 35 Vitamin A supplements are less prone to anemia than those who did not (AOR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.63- 36 0.93). Children from the highest wealth quintile households were less likely to suffer anemia than 37 their peers (AOR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.41 -0.93). Overall, 17% of the variability in the prevalence of 38 anemia was attributed to differences between clusters (ICC = 0.17). Conclusions: Childhood anemia 39 remains a critical public health challenge in Mozambique, with prevalence rates exceeding the av-40 erage for Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings underscore the urgent need for multisectoral interven-41 tions targeting individual risk factors and the wider regional disparities contributing to this issue.

Source: Healthcare

DOI: 10.3390/healthcare13060635

Authors: Réka Maulide Cane, Rornald Muhumuza Kananura, Ronald Wasswa, Maria Patrícia Gonçalves, Luís Varandas, Isabel Craveiro