Anaemia in toddlers tied to absence of cow's milk formula and zinc deficiency: Study

Anaemia has been recognized worldwide as a problem, affecting women and children. There are two types of anaemia: nutritional and non-nutritional related. In nutritional anaemia, there is insufficient intake of nutrients to meet the need for hemoglobin and erythrocyte synthesis. Special attention needs to be given to the consumption of iron-rich or iron-fortified foods because iron deficiency is the common cause of anaemia among under-five-year-old children.

A study was conducted by a group of researchers from Indonesia to explore dietary determinants as risk factors for anaemia in children aged 6–36 months living in a poor urban area of Jakarta.

The researchers performed the study at Kampung Melayu sub-district in Jakarta, Indonesia. Data was collected within two weeks in September–October 2020 from a total of 180 participants. A structured questionnaire for a 24-h recall and a semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used to collect the dietary intake data and venous blood was withdrawn to determine the hemoglobin levels. Bivariate chi-square and multiple logistic regression tests were executed to explore the dietary determinant factors for anaemia.

The results of the study are as follows:

• The average hemoglobin concentration was 11.4 ± 1.7 mg/dL; the anaemia prevalence was 29.4%.
• The following variables were significantly associated with a higher risk of anaemia: no cow's milk formula consumption, inadequate intake of fats, protein, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12.
• Only cow's milk formula consumption and zinc intake were revealed as the determinant factors of anaemia.

As the prevalence of anaemia was 29.4% among children aged 6–36 months old. The researchers concluded that anaemia was significantly associated with two dietary determinants as risk factors are cow's milk formula consumption and zinc intake.

Reference:

A study titled, "Dietary Determinants of Anemia in Children Aged 6–36 Months: A Cross-Sectional Study in Indonesia" by Sunardi D et. al published in the Nutrients.

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13072397