My Reseaerch report about PREVALENCE OF ANAEMIA TO UNDER-FIVE CHILDREN

1. PREVALENCE OF ANAEMIA TO UNDER-FIVE CHILDREN
ATTENDED AT
MUHIMBILI NATIONAL REFFERAL HOSPITAL
Candidate: RAMADHANI SAID ALLY
Reg No: NS1323/0170/2013
Course: DMLS
Supervisor: MADAM ESTHER NGOLO NILLA

2. Intoduction
• Inspite of being preventable, Anaemia caused a lot of morbidity and
adverse effects in under five children, especially in the first two years of
life, such as behavioral delay; reduce cognitive development, low immunity
and growth weight, fatigue, and susceptibility to infection.
• The global estimate of childhood anaemia indicates that 293.1 million
(approximately 43 %) of children under five years are anaemic worldwide
and 28.5 % of these children are residing in sub-Saharan Africa.
• In East Africa approximately 75% of under-five children have anaemia with
the prevalence’s ranging between 44% and 76%.

3. Rationale
The problem exists and currently affecting many areas in
Tanzania due to its effects among children under five years in
the community. Thus, why I decided to conduct the research
to know the prevalence of the disease,

4. Research Question
• What is the prevalence of anemia among the under five
children attending at MUHIMBILI NATIONAL HOSPITAL?

5. Objectives
• Broad objectives:
To know the prevalence of anemia among the patients (under five
children) attending at MUHIMBILI NATIONAL HOSPITAL.
• Specific objectives:
To determine children characteristic relation to anemia
Identify the factors contributing to anaemia in under five children.
Determine how chronic infection can lead to anaemia in under five
children
To determine the prevalence of anemia according to age

6. Methodology
Study Design:
• This is a descriptive cross sectional study.
Study Area:
• The study was conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital.
Study population:
• Selected children aged 0 - 59 months (<5 years).

7. Selection Criterias
Inclusion Criterias
• All Children under five years
of age who attended at
Muhimbili National Hospital
Exclusion Criterias
• All children above 5 years of
age
• All children who are not
suspected with anaemia
even if they are 5 years of
age and below
• The sample size in the study after selection was 448 children

8. Data analaysis
The data collected were extracted and analyzed using
Microsoft excel 2013

9. Results
In a total of 448 under-five children, the overall prevalence of anaemia
was 77.2 % (346/448) with mild, moderate and severe anaemia being
16.5%, 33% and 27.7 % respectively. Microcytic hypochromic anaemia
was detected in 37.5 % of the children with anaemia.
Of 272 children with moderate and severe anaemia, 22.6 % (61/272)
had iron deficiency anaemia based on serum ferritin level less than
12μg/ml.
The factors associated with severe anaemia included unemployment of
the parent, malaria parasitaemia and presence of sickle haemoglobin.

10. DATA TABLE
Anemic State Number of Children
(<5yrs)
Percentage
(of 448)
MILD 74 16.5%
MODERATE 178 33%
SEVERE 124 27.7%
MICROCYTIC HYPOCHROMIC 129 29%
Total 346 72.2%

11. DATA CHART
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
MILD MODERATE SEVERE MICROCYTIC
HYPOCHROMIC
74
148
124
168
NUMBER OF ANAEMIC CHILDREN (<5)

12. Discussion
• The overall prevalence of anaemia in this study was similar
to that reported from other studies in East and South Africa
where the prevalence was between 71% and 79%
• Sickle cell disease and malaria were significantly associated
with severe anaemia in this study. Muoneke et al. Found a
significant association between SCD and SCT with severe
anaemia in Nigeria. Children with SCD are susceptible to
infections which may result in rapid fall of haemoglobin
level

13. Discussion cont…
• Similar to our findings, several studies have also reported that
malaria is an important cause of severe anaemia. Netto MP et al.
found that It contributes to anaemia through red blood cell lysis,
organ sequestration and destruction of erythrocytes, phagocytosis of
uninfected and infected red blood cells and dyserythropoiesis
• Kahigwa et al. reported that anaemic children had caretakers who did
not complete primary education. The relationship between education
and anaemia may be due to the capacity of caretakers to grasp the
knowledge needed for adequate healthcare and nutrition for
children.

14. Discussion cont…
• In this study low birth weight was not associated with severe
anaemia and this may be due to the small number (10.4 %) of the
children with low birth weight. A similar finding was reported by
Kahigwa et al., 2002 in a case control study that conducted at Ifakara
in Kilombero District, Morogoro Region.
• Malnutrition is among the causes of anaemia as reported by other
researchers. In this study, there was no significant association
between nutritional status and severe anaemia, similar to the
findings by Ughasoro et al. 2011 conducted at Bugando, Mwanza.

15. Conclusion and Recommendations
Conclusion:
The prevalence of anaemia among under-five children
admitted at MNH was high. Iron deficiency anaemia was
the most common type. Factors associated with severe
anaemia were Education and unemployment among
caretakers, malaria parasitaemia and presence of sickle
haemoglobin

16. Recommendations
From the results and discussion of the study, I recommend that
the government and health stakeholders increase their strength
and efforts in serving the health sector, especially in this aspect of
anemia in children under five years of age, by increasing the
number of workers in that field, increasing the tools for early
detection and treatment of the children with the problem, adding
more medicine and equipments for the treatment of those
affected by anaemia, without forgetting to put a lot of effort into
health education about the problem including symptoms, nutrition
and the importance of early treatment.

17. Thanks for your attention…