Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Life Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait.
School of Community & Environmental Health, College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA.
Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 3;10(1):5857. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-60816-7.
We estimated the prevalence of anemia among school children and investigated factors associated with this problem in Kuwait. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1415 adolescents randomly selected from middle schools in Kuwait. Hemoglobin, iron, ferritin, folate and vitamin B, in addition to many other laboratory indicators, were measured in a venous blood sample. Data on risk factors for anemia were collected from parents and adolescents. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with anemia. The prevalence of anemia was 8.06% (95% CI: 6.69-9.60%), which was significantly higher among females compared to males (10.96% vs. 5.04%; p < 0.001). Mean (SD) Hb level was 133.7 (9.89) g/L and 130.00 (10.48) g/L among males and females, respectively (p < 0.001). The prevalence of mild, moderate and severe anemia was 5.94%, 1.91% and 0.21%, respectively. Gender, age, iron concentration and ferritin were associated with anemia in multivariable analysis. These data indicate that anemia among school children in Kuwait is of mild public health significance. Further reduction in anemia in school girls should focus on correcting iron deficiency. Surveillance systems for anemia may consider using a cut-off point that is specific for the method of blood sampling and the method of Hb measurement.
我们评估了科威特在校儿童的贫血患病率，并调查了与该问题相关的因素。我们对科威特中学随机抽取的 1415 名青少年进行了横断面研究。采集静脉血样，检测血红蛋白、铁、铁蛋白、叶酸和维生素 B 以及许多其他实验室指标。从家长和青少年那里收集贫血相关危险因素的数据。采用多因素逻辑回归分析与贫血相关的因素。贫血患病率为 8.06%（95%CI：6.69-9.60%），女性明显高于男性（10.96%比 5.04%；p<0.001）。男性和女性的平均（SD）Hb 水平分别为 133.7（9.89）g/L 和 130.00（10.48）g/L（p<0.001）。轻度、中度和重度贫血的患病率分别为 5.94%、1.91%和 0.21%。多因素分析显示，性别、年龄、铁浓度和铁蛋白与贫血相关。这些数据表明，科威特在校儿童的贫血具有轻度公共卫生意义。进一步减少在校女生的贫血应侧重于纠正缺铁。贫血监测系统可考虑使用特定于采血方法和 Hb 测量方法的切点。
