Knowles Jacky, Walters Tamsin, Yarparvar Amirhossein, Brown Rebecca
NutritionWorks, Bristol, United Kingdom.
UNICEF, Sama Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Curr Dev Nutr. 2024 Oct 15;8(12):104477. doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.104477. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Anemia is a global public health and nutrition problem. However, data on its prevalence and potential causal factors in the 22 countries of the UNICEF Europe and Central Asia region are not systematically collected, analyzed, and reported, leading to challenges in formulating appropriate preventative strategies. We examined available anemia prevalence data among different population groups through reviewing survey reports from 2010 to 2022; conducted a literature review to explore underlying determinants of anemia including iron deficiency; and collated and reviewed program and policy documentation across the region. Anemia prevalence data for the period 1999-2009 were also researched to examine trends in anemia prevalence in the region over the past 23 y. Nationally representative data for anemia for ≥1 population group since 2010 were found for half the 22 countries, whereas less than a quarter of countries had recent data for iron deficiency. There was a lack of evidence for other factors potentially contributing to anemia in the region. Where information was available, our findings highlight that anemia remained a problem of public health significance among girls and women 15-49 y old and preschool children in all countries with data; anemia was highly associated with iron deficiency; large discrepancies in anemia prevalence existed between geographical regions and subpopulation groups within countries; and only a few countries were implementing the recommended WHO strategies to prevent and control anemia. The paucity of recent, representative, data on anemia in many countries and on the etiology of anemia in most countries remain obstacles to ensuring that effective anemia prevention strategies are placed high on national agendas in the region.
贫血是一个全球性的公共卫生和营养问题。然而，联合国儿童基金会欧洲和中亚区域22个国家关于贫血患病率及其潜在病因的数据并未得到系统收集、分析和报告，这给制定适当的预防策略带来了挑战。我们通过回顾2010年至2022年的调查报告，研究了不同人群中现有的贫血患病率数据；进行了文献综述，以探索贫血的潜在决定因素，包括缺铁；并整理和审查了该区域的项目和政策文件。我们还研究了1999年至2009年期间的贫血患病率数据，以考察该区域过去23年中贫血患病率的趋势。在22个国家中，有一半国家找到了2010年以来至少1个人群组具有全国代表性的贫血数据，而只有不到四分之一的国家有缺铁的近期数据。该区域缺乏其他可能导致贫血的因素的证据。在有信息的地方，我们的研究结果表明，在所有有数据的国家中，贫血在15至49岁的女孩和妇女以及学龄前儿童中仍然是一个具有公共卫生意义的问题；贫血与缺铁高度相关；国家内部不同地理区域和亚人群组之间的贫血患病率存在巨大差异；只有少数国家在实施世界卫生组织推荐的预防和控制贫血的策略。许多国家缺乏关于贫血的近期代表性数据，而且大多数国家缺乏关于贫血病因的数据，这仍然是确保将有效的贫血预防策略置于该区域各国议程重要位置的障碍。
