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

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 2,030 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 9.5+/-2.6 years and 12.6+/-1.1 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.