Follow-up of three large community-based programs to reduce anaemia among children 24-59 months in Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania

Childhood anaemia remains a problem of global health importance, despite decades of research to understand its aetiology and develop effective interventions to reduce its prevalence and consequences. While the individual risk factors for anaemia in young children are known, including factors related to undernutrition and morbidity, much less is known about the interaction amongst these in contexts where children are frequently exposed to several at the same time. This study seeks to document the anaemia control efforts of the Micronutrient and Health (MICAH) program implemented in Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania and use both process and evaluation data collected during the program to better understand the risk factors for anaemia in young children in these contexts and how these risk relationships may have changed over time during the intervention. Specifically, this study tests whether there is evidence of a reduction in child vulnerability to the risk factors associated with anaemia in each context. A review of program documentation was conducted to characterize the program contexts and interventions, including estimates of intensity and reach. Cross-sectional data on the nutrition and health status of children 24-59 mo (N=2405) obtained in 2000 and 2004 from community-based program evaluation surveys in Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania, were used to describe the prevalence of anaemia. Multinomial logistic and linear regression models were used to estimate the risk of mild and moderate/severe anaemia and low haemoglobin, respectively, associated with groups of variables. Population attributable risk (PAR) estimates were also calculated. Anaemia (haemoglobin <110 g/L) affected at least 60% of children in all three countries; moderate/severe anaemia (<100 g/L) accounted for the majority of cases. A large decrease in anaemia was observed between 2000 and 2004 in Ghana, but only a small decrease in Malawi and Tanzania. The risk of moderate/severe anaemia was associated with stunting in children from Ghana (OR 2.68; 95% CI 1.70, 4.23) and Malawi (OR 1.71; 1.29, 2.27) but not Tanzania (OR 1.29; 0.87, 1.92). Malaria and recent illness was associated with lower Hb overall; attenuation of this association in 2004 was observed only in Malawi for malaria and Ghana for illness. Children 48-59 mo were at least 44% less likely than those 24-35 mo to have moderate/severe anaemia in all three countries and this did not change between 2000 and 2004. PAR estimates showed that roughly one fifth of moderate/severe anaemia cases were attributable to stunting in Ghana and Malawi but not Tanzania. Lower and context-variable PAR estimates were found for malaria and recent illness. Integrated health and nutrition interventions altered the relationship of some but not all risk factors for anaemia. Stunting remained an independent and non-buffered risk factor for anaemia. Effectively reducing the causes of chronic undernutrition is required in order to reduce child vulnerability and ensure maximum impact of anaemia control programs. Some buffering of malaria impact may be achieved in endemic settings.

Keyphrases: Anaemia, Haemoglobin, Undernutrition, Stunting, Malaria, Vulnerability, Africa, Preschool children