Anemia and iron deficiency in infants aged 6-12 months in the city of Necochea: Prevalence and determinants.

Introduction: Anemia in the first years of life leads to severe psychomotor, social, and financial effects. The objective of this study was to determine its prevalence, causes, and risk and preventive factors among infants in the city of Necochea.

Poulation And Methods: Observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. Healthy infants aged 6-12 months who attended a spontaneous health checkup in a public and/ or private facility in the district of Necochea during 2017 were assessed. An informed consent was obtained; a social and nutrition survey was administered; dietary and medicinal iron intake was assessed; and a physical examination and lab tests were done.

Results: A total of 239 participants were included; 50.6 % had anemia and 47.3 %, iron deficiency. Mean and median hemoglobin levels were both 10.9 g/dL, (reference mean: 12.5 mg/dL). Among anemia patients, 54.4 % had iron deficiency; iron intake was inadequate in 61.7 %; and 44.3 % had not received iron supplementation the previous day. Among these, 24.5 % had not received a medical indication for it, and 9.1 % did not find iron supplementation available at their primary health care center or hospital. An adequate iron intake was a protective factor against iron deficiency (relative risk [RR]: 0.78 [95 % confidence interval {CI}: 0.6-0.9]), but not against the development of anemia (RR: 1.08; [95 % CI: 0.8-1.3]).

Conclusions: In the city of Necochea, anemia and iron deficiency are highly prevalent conditions; dietary iron intake is insufficient and supplementation is under-prescribed.