Nutrition and social correlates in iron deficiency anemia.

This study was designed to ascertain some nutrition and nutrition related social factors in the environment of the child with anemia. In this study, it was found that the child with iron deficiency anemia consumed less iron per kilogram per day, drank more milk, was less likely to have been given supplemental iron, was introduced to strained foods at an older age, and had a greater number of siblings. The mother was more likely to be separated or divorced, view the child as having more feeding problems and be an inappropriate weight for age, have somewhat different expectations of his ability to perform certain tasks, and be, in general, less satisfied with the child. The family group spent less per capita on food and cared for the child in the home more of the time. A better understanding of these factors, important in the development of iron deficiency anemia, may eventually lead to amelioration of the problem.