Low anemia prevalence in school-aged children in Bangalore, South India: possible effect of school health initiatives

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 61; no. 7; pp. 865 - 869
• Main Authors: Muthayya, S, Thankachan, P, Zimmermann, M.B, Andersson, M, Eilander, A, Misquith, D, Hurrell, R.F, Kurpad, A.V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.07.2007; Nature Publishing; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: administration & dosage; Adolescent; Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; adolescents; Albendazole; Albendazole - administration & dosage; analysis; Anemia; anemia (disease); Anemia, Iron-Deficiency; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - blood; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - epidemiology; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - prevention & control; Anemias. Hemoglobinopathies; Anthelmintic agents; anthelmintic treatment; Anthelmintics; Anthelmintics - administration & dosage; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blood levels; boys; Child; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Child, Preschool; Children; Clinical Nutrition; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dietary Supplements; disease prevalence; Disease prevention; Diseases of red blood cells; Elementary school students; Epidemiology; Female; Girls; growth; health hazards; Health promotion; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hemoglobin; hemoglobin concentrations; Hemoglobins; Hemoglobins - analysis; Humans; India; Internal Medicine; Intervention; iron-deficiency; Male; Medical sciences; Medical treatment; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; original-article; Parasites; Prevalence; prevention & control; Public Health; Retinene; Rural areas; Rural Health; school based intervention; school children; Schools; Sex Factors; supplementation; Treatment Outcome; Urban Health; Vitamin A; Vitamin A - administration & dosage; vitamin supplements; vitamin-a-deficiency; India; Asia; Bengaluru India; vitamin A; albendazole; anemia; hemoglobin; school children; Bangalore; Human; Sanitary program; Anthelmintic; Prevalence; Anemia; South; Hemopathy; Operation; Epidemiology; School; School age; Low; Parasiticide; Child; Public health
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602613
• ISSN: 0954-3007

Objective: Anemia is a serious public health problem in Indian school children. Since 2003, simple health intervention programs such as antihelminthic treatment and vitamin A supplementation have been implemented in primary schools in the Bangalore region, Karnataka, India. This study examines the prevalence of anemia in school children who are beneficiaries of this program. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Bangalore district, South India. Subjects: A total of 2030 boys and girls, aged 5-15 years, attending schools in the Bangalore district. Interventions: School-based, twice yearly intervention: deworming (albendazole 400 mg, single oral dose) and vitamin A supplementation (200 000 IU, single oral dose). Main outcome measures: Anemia prevalence based on measure of blood hemoglobin (Hb). Results: Mean age and blood Hb concentration of all children were 9.52.6 years and 12.61.1 g/dl (range 5.6-16.7), respectively. The overall anemia prevalence in this group was 13.6%. Anemia prevalence was lower in boys than girls (12.0%; n=1037 vs 15.3%; n=993 respectively, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in anemia prevalence between children in urban and rural locations (14.6 and 12.3%, respectively). Conclusions: The current low anemia prevalence in Bangalore could be due to the impact of school-based intervention programs that have been in place since 2003. The beneficial interactions of deworming and vitamin A supplementation could have widespread implications for current preventive public health initiatives. There is now need for the development of clear policy guidelines based on these simple and integrated interventions.