Table 3. Factors associated with Iron deficiency anemia among children 6–59 months of age in Pakistan, Univariate and Multivariate analysis (N = 2373).
| Characteristics | IDA | (95% CI) | Un adjusted OR (95% CI) | P-value | Adjusted OR (95% CI) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household factors | ||||||
| Residence | ||||||
| Rural | 1423 (68.8) | 65.2–72.3 | 0.89 (0.79–1.02) | 0.088 | 0.77 (0.65–0.90) | 0.001 |
| Urban | 950 (31.2) | 27.7–34.8 | Ref. | |||
| Wealth quintiles | ||||||
| Poorest | 505 (22.3) | 19.8–24.8 | 1.04 (0.86–1.26) | 0.655 | 0.65 (0.51–0.85) | |
| 2 | 448 (19.9) | 17.9–21.9 | 1.06 (0.88–1.29) | 0.545 | 0.83 (0.65–1.05) | |
| 3 | 509 (20.9) | 19.0–22.3 | 1.11 (0.91–1.35) | 0.314 | 0.99 (0.79–1.26) | |
| 4 | 510 (21.2) | 19.2–23.3 | 1.26 (1.04–1.51) | 0.017 | 1.19 (0.96–1.48) | |
| 5 wealthiest | 401 (15.6) | 13.4–17.8 | Ref. | Ref. | ||
| Food security | ||||||
| Food insecure | 1460 (64.7) | 62.2–67.1 | 1.23 (1.08–1.41) | 0.003 | 1.20 (1.10–1.40) | 0.002 |
| Food secure | 860 (35.3) | 32.9–37.8 | Ref. | |||
| Maternal factors | ||||||
| Maternal Education | ||||||
| Illiterate | 1293 (55.6) | 52.7–58.4 | 1.11 (0.86–1.41) | 0.439 | ||
| Primary or less (1–5) | 378 (16.4) | 14.6–18.3 | 1.41 (1.07–1.85) | 0.016 | ||
| Middle(6–8) | 218 (9.3) | 7.8–10.7 | 1.40 (1.03–1.9) | 0.032 | ||
| Matric(9–10) | 288 (11.4) | 9.8–12.9 | 1.28 (0.96–1.7) | 0.09 | ||
| Intermediate & above (>10) | 183 (7.4) | 5.8–9.0 | Ref. | |||
| Maternal iron deficiency anema | ||||||
| Anemic | 558 (26.9) | 24.6–29.3 | 1.91 (1.65–2.21) | 0.000 | 1.72 (1.47–2.01) | 0.001 |
| Normal | 1577 (73.1) | 70.7–75.4 | Ref. | Ref. | ||
| BMI (kg/m2) | ||||||
| <18.5 | 410 (17.5) | 15.8–19.1 | 1.12 (0.97–1.29) | 0.130 | ||
| 18.5–24.9 | 1223 (52.5) | 50.2–54.7 | Ref. | |||
| 25–29.9 | 493 (20.1) | 18.2–22.1 | 0.92 (0.79–1.04) | 0.163 | ||
| > = 30 | 247 (9.9) | 8.6–11.3 | 0.83 (0.69–0.99) | 0.042 | ||
| Child’s factors | ||||||
| Child’s sex | ||||||
| Female | 1067 (45.9) | 43.5–48.4 | 0.86 (0.77–0.97) | 0.012 | 0.87 (0.76–0.98) | 0.028 |
| Male | 1306 (54.1) | 51.6–56.5 | Ref. | Ref. | ||
| Child’s Age in months | ||||||
| <24m | 1252 (53.9) | 51.5–56.2 | 1.45 (1.29–1.62) | 0.000 | 1.35 (1.18–1.55) | 0.0002 |
| 24-59m | 1121 (46.1) | 43.8–48.5 | Ref. | Ref. | ||
| Presence of clinical Anemia in children | ||||||
| Yes | 1229 (52.6) | 49.7–55.6 | 5.03 (4.41–5.74) | 0.000 | 5.69 (4.93–6.56) | 0.0001 |
| No | 1131 (47.4) | 44.4–50.3 | Ref. | Ref. | ||
| Vitamin A deficiency | ||||||
| Deficient (< = 0.70 μmol/l) | 1221 (51.5) | 48.5–54.5 | 0.93 (0.83–1.05) | 0.261 | ||
| Non deficient (>0.70 μmol/l) | 1084 (48.5) | 45.5–51.5 | Ref. | |||
| Zinc deficiency | ||||||
| Deficient (<60 μg/dl) | 852 (37.8) | 34.9–40.6 | 1.07 (0.95–1.21) | 0.240 | ||
| Non-Deficient (60–150 μg/dl) | 1409 (62.2) | 59.4–65.1 | Ref. | |||
| Height for Age–Stunted | ||||||
| Stunting(-6 to -2) | 1158 (50.4) | 47.9–52.9 | 1.44 (1.27–1.64) | 0.000 | 1.42 (1.23–1.63) | 0.0001 |
| Normal(-1.99 to +6) | 1160 (49.6) | 47.1–52.2 | Ref. | Ref. | ||
| Weight for Height–Wasted | ||||||
| Wasting(-5 to -2) | 351 (15.1) | 13.5–16.7 | 0.95 (0.82–1.11) | 0.532 | ||
| Normal(-1.99 to +5) | 1963 (84.9) | 83.3–86.5 | Ref. | |||
| Weight for Age—Under weight | ||||||
| Underweight(-6 to -2) | 868 (37.3) | 35.0–39.6 | 1.28 (1.15–1.43) | 0.000 | ||
| Normal(-1.99 to +5) | 1481 (62.7) | 60.4–65.0 | Ref. | |||
| History of worm infestation | ||||||
| Yes | 218 (9.8) | 8.4–11.3 | 1.33 (1.1–1.62) | 0.003 | ||
| No | 2093 (90.2) | 88.7–91.6 | Ref. |