PS-4-12
Blood Hemoglobin Levels and Related Factors in Japanese Children
Mihoshi Yokoo1, Hiroko Miyaki1, Manami Misu1, Momo Hosokawa1, Erika Ota2,3
1: General Incorporated Association Luvtelli, 2: St. Luke's International University, 3: Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research

All the presenting author and co-authors have no financial conflicts of interest to disclose.
Objectives

The relationship between iron deficiency (anemia) in childhood and later development has been suggested by previous reports(Lozoff et al., 2006). However, there are few studies on the actual status of anemia in Japanese children have been conducted. In thisstudy, we measured blood hemoglobin levels in Japanese children and their mothers using a newly developed non-invasive blood
hemoglobin level measurement method to understand the actual situation and examine its related factors.

Methods

In October 2020, 132 children aged 1 year and 6 months to less than 6 years and their mothers were studied in Bunkyo
Ward, Tokyo, and Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The hemoglobin levels in the blood of mothers and children
were measured using Rad-67 (Masimo) (Fig. 1), and the information on the children's births and lifestyles was alsocollected by the questionnaire. The information of nutrient intake and food intake of mothers was collected by BDHQ
(brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire). The analyses were performed with IBM SPSS Statics Ver. 28.
The correlation between hemoglobin levels of the children and the mothers was analyzed using Person correlation
method and the possible factors related to hemoglobin levels of children were extracted performing Chi-squared test.
Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Only 127 mothers’ hemoglobin data were analyzed due to missing
Fig.1 Rad-67 (Masimo)
data or exclusion criteria conflict (pregnancy).

Result (1): Blood Hemoglobin levelsof the children and their mothers

The median hemoglobin concentration of the children was 12.55
g/dL, and 8% of the children had hemoglobin concentrations
lower than the WHO criteria (11 for 6-59 m.o. and 11.5 for 5-11y.o.) for anemia (Fig. 2). Children with anemia increase as age
rises (Fig. 3). The median hemoglobin concentration of themothers was 13.75 g/dL, and 5.5% of the mothers had
hemoglobin concentrations lower than the WHO criteria foranemia(Fig. 4). The blood hemoglobin levels of mothers andchildren significantly correlated, at r=0.285, p=0.001 (Fig. 5).

Result (2): Possible factors related tohemoglobin levels of childrenChildren with hemoglobin levels above the median werecharacterized by a marginally significantly higher percentage offollow-up infant formula intake (p=0.053) (Table1). There wereno other differences between the two groups in terms of childsex, age, birth week, birth weight, pre-weaning nutrition
method, frequency of meat intake, and iron supplementation
habits other than follow-up infant formula and daytime
childcare environment.
Table 1 Characteristics of the children with hemoglobin levels above andunder the median.

(g/dL)

Fig.2 Hemoglobin concentrationof the children

Fig.3 Difference of % of children
with anemia between ages
(g/dL)(g/dL)

Fig.4 Hemoglobin
concentration of the mothers(g/dL)

Fig.5 Correlation of the hemoglobin
concentration between the mothers andthe children

In addition, it was found that the mothers of the children withhemoglobin levels above the median had more animal protein,fat, vitamin b2 and b6, and less carbohydrates than the ones of
the children with hemoglobin levels under the median (data notshown).

Conclusion

Of the children, 8% had hemoglobin levels below the criteria for anemia, and the blood hemoglobin levels of mothers and theirchildren significantly correlated. There needs to be further study but the effectiveness of follow-up formula as an ironsupplementation method was potentially shown in this study. Furthermore, it was shown that dietary habit of mothers might be
one of the factors affecting children’s hemoglobin levels, which might be meaning that children’s caregivers’ dietary literacy or themeal quality at home is important for higher hemoglobin levels of young children in Japan.