Anemia and risk factors among children 6 months to 59 months old: a hospital-based prospective study

Background: Anemia is a major public health problem and the most common nutritional issue in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of anemia and factors associated with anemia among children 6 to 59 months old admitted in Pediatric ward of National Referral Hospital, Thimphu. Methods: A hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study. All children 6 months to 59 months old admitted in Pediatric ward of National Referral Hospital, Thimphu were included in the study. A total of 353 children were included in the study. Data was analyzed using STATA 12. Results: The prevalence of anemia was 58.4%. Mild, moderate and severe anemia was 65%, 22.8% and 12.2% respectively. Anemia was more common in children less than 2 years old. The majority of the children had microcytic hypochromic anemia with low serum iron. The risk factors associated with moderate to severe anemia were malnutrition [p-value 0.001, OR 32.1, 95% CI (9.10-118.8)], low education level of caregiver [p value 0.0019, OR 5.10, 95% CI (1.66-15.68), monthly family income less than 5000/month [p-value 0.0004, OR 4.6 , 95% CI (1.89-11.54)] and chronic illness [p value 0.030, OR 2.43, 95% CI (1.08-5.47)]. Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of anemia in under-5 children, with iron deficiency accounting for the majority of the cases. Children under 2 years were affected more.