PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

High prevalence of anemia in children and adult women in an urban population in southern Brazil.

  • Lucia Mariano da Rocha Silla,
  • Alice Zelmanowicz,
  • Ingrid Mito,
  • Mariana Michalowski,
  • Tania Hellwing,
  • Marco Antonio Shilling,
  • João Ricardo Friedrisch,
  • Christina M Bittar,
  • Cristina Arthmar Mentz Albrecht,
  • Elaine Scapinello,
  • Claudia Conti,
  • Marcia Arthmar Mentz Albrecht,
  • Letícia Baggio,
  • Annelise Pezzi,
  • Bruna Amorin,
  • Vanessa Valim,
  • Laura Fogliatto,
  • Alessandra Paz,
  • Claudia Astigarraga,
  • Rosane Isabel Bittencourt,
  • Gustavo Fischer,
  • Liane Daudt

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0068805
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 7
p. e68805

Abstract

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This population-based study was designed to detect the prevalence of anemia in a healthy population of children (18 months to 7 years) and women (14 to 30 years) tested in 2006-2007 in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil as part of an effort to tackle this massive problem that still affects so many people in the XXI century. Anemia was defined according to the WHO. Capillary blood was measured and socioeconomic status was determined according to the Brazilian Association of Market Research Agencies. The median prevalence of anemia in 2198 children was 45.4% and in 1999 women 36.4%. Anemia decreased with age during childhood; although significantly more prevalent in lower classes individuals, it was also high in the upper classes. There are indirect evidences that the lack of iron supplementation and/or iron fortified food may play a role in it. Professionals and society wise measures of education have to be implemented in order to address possible biologic factors involved in childhood psychosocial development in southern Brazil.