Factors associated with anaemia among orang asli children aged 2 to 6 years old in Negeri Sembilan

Usaini, Nur Nadhirah (2020) Factors associated with anaemia among orang asli children aged 2 to 6 years old in Negeri Sembilan. [Project Paper] (Submitted)

Text FPSK3 2021 1.pdf Download (1MB)

Abstract

Anaemia is a condition where there are insufficient red blood cells to meet the physiological needs of humans. There is limited data available on the anaemia status of the Orang Asli (OA) pre-school children. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the factors associated with anaemia among OA children aged 2 to 6 years old in Negeri Sembilan. This study included 264 OA children (50.9% boys and 49.1% girls) with a mean age of 4.04 years (SD=1.21 years) and their mothers from 14 OA villages in Negeri Sembilan. This study was a secondary data analysis of the cognitive performance of Orang Asli children data set. Data collection was conducted from April 2015 until January 2016. Mothers were interviewed to obtain information on sociodemographic background, food insecurity and sanitation and hygiene status. Weight and height of the children and their mothers as well as waist circumference of the mothers were measured. Mothers were also interviewed about the child’s dietary intake using a 2-day 24-hour dietary recall. Anaemia status of both OA children and their mothers were determined by capillary blood haemoglobin level. Children were screened for parasitic infection using stool samples. Findings showed that 21.6% and 38.3% of the OA children and their mothers were anaemic, respectively. Approximately 28%, 34.9% and 6.4% of the children were underweight, stunted and wasted, respectively. Moreover, 8% of the mothers were stunted, 58.9% had abdominal obesity, and 61.7% were overweight and obese. The mean ± SD of the dietary diversity score was 6.09 ± 1.15, in which 16.7% of OA children had low dietary diversity. About one third of the OA children (35%) were infected by parasites. Almost all mothers (96.3%) reported household food insecurity. There were significant associations of HAZ (χ2 = 5.75, p = 0.017), parasitic infection (χ2 = 8.35, p = 0.004), father’s educational level (χ2 = 9.50, p = 0.023), haemoglobin level of mothers (χ2 = 12.95, p = <0.001), wearing sandal or shoes outside the house (χ2 = 7.82, p = 0.005), soap used during handwashing (χ2 = 5.88, p = 0.049), energy intake (χ2 = 6.04, p = 0.014), percentage of energy from protein (χ2 = 10.50, p = 0.005), Vitamin A intake (χ2 = 4.61, p = 0.032), and iron intake (χ2 = 5.66, p = 0.017) with anaemia status among OA children in this study. In conclusion, the prevalence of anaemia among OA children aged 2 to 6 years old in this study suggests moderate public health importance. Adequate nutritional status and good hygienic and sanitation status play important roles in determining haemoglobin level among OA children. There is a need to implement appropriate nutrition intervention to reduce anaemia problems among OA children

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Depositing User:	Ms Norafizah Radzuan
Date Deposited:	04 Sep 2023 03:28
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2023 03:28
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1268

Actions (login required)

View Item