Prevalence and Factors Associated with Anaemia and Undernutrition Among Children Aged 6–24 Months in Rural Tanzania
| dc.contributor.author | Mshanga, Naelijwa | |
| dc.contributor.author | Moore, Sally | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kassim, Neema | |
| dc.contributor.author | Auma, Carolyn | |
| dc.contributor.author | Gong, Yun Yun | |
| dc.contributor.author | Martin, Haikael | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-20T10:44:02Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-06-19 | |
| dc.description | SDG-2: Zero Hunger SDG-3: Good Health and Well-being | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Anaemia and undernutrition remain a significant public health problem in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly affecting under-five children. In Tanzania, the prevalence of anaemia and undernutrition in under-five children is still high; however, less is known about the prevalence and predictors of these conditions in rural areas. Therefore, the current cross-sectional study presents the prevalence and determinants of anaemia and undernutrition among 457 children aged 6–24 months in the Babati and Hanang districts of Tanzania. Method: Haemoglobin concentration was assessed through capillary blood samples. Anaemia was classified according to WHO 2011 guidelines using a cut-off of <11.0 g/dL for children under five, while the WHO 2006 growth indicators were used to classify the nutritional status (i.e., stunting, wasting and underweight). Results: The results from this study show that 32%, 32%, 20% and 4% of children aged 6–24 months were anaemic, stunted, underweight and wasted, respectively, while only 33% had an adequate minimum dietary diversity (MDD). In addition, the child’s age (13–24 months) was significantly associated with anaemia (AOR: 2.1 95% CI 1.4, 3.1), stunting (AOR:17.4 95% CI 10.3, 29.4) and underweight (AOR: 15.9 95% CI 7.9, 32.0). Moreover, male children were three times more likely to be wasted (AOR: 3.5 95% CI 1.1, 10.9) than their female counterparts. Anaemia and stunting were the most prevalent nutritional disorders among 6–24-month-old children in the Hanang and Babati districts. Moreover, age (13–24 months) was found to be the common predictor for anaemia, stunting and underweight. Conclusion: The observed association between age and anaemia, as well as undernutrition, suggest that age may be an essential factor when designing nutrition-related programs in similar rural settings. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dspace.nm-aist.ac.tz/handle/123456789/3277 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | MDPI | |
| dc.subject | Tanzania | |
| dc.subject | 6–24 months old | |
| dc.subject | Anaemia | |
| dc.subject | Undernutrition | |
| dc.title | Prevalence and Factors Associated with Anaemia and Undernutrition Among Children Aged 6–24 Months in Rural Tanzania | |
| dc.type | Article |