Table 1.
Weighted averages of any anemia prevalence and pattern across countries in anemia prevalence among children and women by background characteristics, DHS surveys (2006−2017)
| Variable | Categories | Weighted average prevalence of anemiaa | Percentage of countries with the highest prevalence of anemia by category | Overall prevalence pattern and select associationsb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children, 6–59 months of age | n = 385,541 | n = 47 | ||
| Child age | 6−11 | 71.1 | 70.2 | In 70% of countries, prevalence decreases by age. |
| 12−23 | 67.1 | 29.8 | ||
| 24−59 | 47.8 | 0.0 | ||
| Child sex | Boys | 56.1 | 80.9 | In 81% of countries, prevalence is higher among boys. In 11 of 47 countries, the odds of anemia are significantly greater for boys, with an overall effect of 1.05 (P < 0.001). |
| Girls | 54.0 | 19.1 | ||
| Residence | Urban | 51.1 | 17.0 | In 83% of countries, prevalence is higher in rural areas. |
| Rural | 57.0 | 83.0 | ||
| Mother's educationd | None | 60.0 | 60.9 | In 50% of countries, prevalence decreases by increasing maternal education level. |
| Primary | 55.5 | 19.6 | ||
| Secondary | 50.9 | 13.0 | ||
| Higher | 41.3 | 6.5 | ||
| Wealth quintile | Lowest | 59.9 | 66.0 | In 37% of countries, prevalence decreases by increasing wealth index. |
| Second | 57.5 | 8.5 | ||
| Middle | 55.9 | 17.0 | ||
| Fourth | 52.4 | 4.3 | ||
| Highest | 46.4 | 4.3 | ||
| Iron supplementationd | No | 56.7 | 65.9 | In 66% of countries, prevalence is higher among children not taking iron supplements. |
| Yes | 55.9 | 35.0 | ||
| Dewormingd | No | 59.8 | 95.3 | In 95% of countries, prevalence is higher among those reporting not taking deworming medication. In 27 of 47 countries, the odds of anemia were significantly lower for children taking deworming medication. |
| Yes | 53.2 | 4.7 | ||
| Women, 15–49 years old | n = 1,049,827 | n = 46c | ||
| Women's age | 15−19 | 38.2 | 34.8 | In 41% of countries, prevalence is greatest among the 35+ age group. |
| 20−34 | 37.8 | 23.9 | ||
| 35+ | 38.3 | 41.3 | ||
| Residence | Urban | 36.3 | 32.6 | In 67% of countries, prevalence is higher in rural areas. |
| Rural | 38.9 | 67.4 | ||
| Educationd | None | 40.4 | 53.3 | In 46% of counties, prevalence decreases with education. |
| Primary | 37.4 | 17.8 | ||
| Secondary | 35.7 | 20.0 | ||
| Higher | 32.5 | 8.9 | ||
| Wealth quintile | Lowest | 41.0 | 54.3 | In 29% of countries, prevalence decreases by increasing wealth index. |
| Second | 39.3 | 15.2 | ||
| Middle | 39.1 | 6.5 | ||
| Fourth | 36.9 | 15.2 | ||
| Highest | 34.8 | 8.7 | ||
| Maternity status | Pregnant | 44.5 | 73.9 | In 74% of countries, pregnant women have the highest prevalence of anemia. |
| BF, not pregnant | 39.8 | 21.7 | ||
| Not BF, not pregnant | 36.9 | 4.3 | ||
| Iron supplementation | No | 40.4 | 63.0 | In 63% of countries, prevalence is higher among those not having received or bought iron supplementation during pregnancy. |
| Yes | 38.8 | 37.0 | ||
a
This is a crude weighted average using the overall sample size in each country.
b
Unadjusted odds ratios were only run for child sex and child deworming given the descriptive associations to assess significance.
c
Angola DHS is not included in the Women's database, hence a lower total number of countries for women.
d
Denominator does not include countries with no data reported/collected or for which the sample size was less than 25.