Magnitude Of Anemia And Its Contributing Factor Among School Age Children In Mihur Aklil District Gurage Zone Ethiopia

Background: Anemia during childhood impairs physical growth, cognitive development andrnschool performance. Identifying the causes of anemia in specific contexts can help to preventrnnegative consequences of anemia among school age children.rnObjective: The objective of this study was to assess the magnitude of anemia and to identify itsrncontributing factor among school children in south Ethiopia.rnMethods: Community based cross sectional study was conducted on 516 school age children onrntheir caretakers from March 2016 to April 2016 in Mihur aklil district, Gurage Zone, southrnEthiopia. Systematic simple random sampling technique was implemented to select studentsrnfrom 13 primary schools, stool and blood sample were collected in health posts. Information onrnthe families’ socioeconomic conditions and the children’s health Variables were obtainedrnthrough interviews with parents or guardians. HemoCue 301 was used to determine hemoglobinrnlevel. Direct stool examination using saline smear was used to investigate intestinal protozoa andrnhelminthes. Rapid diagnostic kit was also used for detection of malaria infection. Bivariate andrnmultivariate regression analysis was used to identify contributing factor for the development ofrnanemia. P value below 0.05 was considered for statistically significance.rnResult: The overall prevalence of anemia was 21.71% (95% CI: 17.95, 25.07) children residingrnin mild food insecure households (AOR=5.15, 95% CI: (2.45-10.82), moderate food insecurern(AOR=4.47, 95%CI: (1.38-14.48) and severe food insecure (AOR=11.71, 95% CI: (3.49-39.25),rnand who had Ascaris lumbricods and hook worm parasites (AOR=2.64,95% CI:(1.18-5.92),rn(AOR=4.75,95% CI:(1.87-12.05) respectively and infected with malaria (A0R=68.13, 95% CI:rn(7.02- 660). showed strong odds of being anemic than their counter parts.rnConclusion: In conclusion anemia among school age children in this study is of moderate publicrnhealth significance. The magnitude of anemia was strongly associated with malaria, foodrninsecurity and intestinal parasite. It is recommended to include school age children in dewormingrnprogram and strengthen the nutrition specific and sensitive interventions to avert thernmagnitude of anemia for studied children in the community

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