Abstract:
Background
Anemia among infants can greatly affect and influence growth and development as well as weaken the immune system. Understanding the underlying mechanisms behind the development of anemia is of outmost importance. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and maternal correlates of anemia in infants in Kwale County in the southern coastal region of Kenya. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted. Study participants were selected via using systematic random sampling with a skip interval of two (n =134).HemoCue 301 (HemoCue AB, Angelholm, Sweden) was used to determine the hemoglobin concentration where infants with [Hb] 25 years of age. Majority of the mothers (65.6%) had attained primary educational level, 15.6% had no formal education, while 6.7% had attained college/university level of education. Majority of the mothers (95%) received supplements during pregnancy as folate, ferrous Sulphate or ferrous fumarate. The mean maternal hemoglobin during pregnancy was 10.3±1.5 g/dl. The median number of children per mother was 3 with a minimum of 1 child and a maximum of 11 children. Infants in the study delivered through Cesarean-section were significantly (P = 0.003) at higher risk of being anemic, compared to those that were delivered normally.
Conclusion
The prevalence of anemia among infants in the study is of major public health concern. Maternal health status seems to be a predictor of anemia outcomes among infants. Maternal and child health programmatic approaches should emphasize strict monitoring of health status of mothers during pregnancy in order to improve health outcomes among neonates and infants.
