Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access

Abstract

Screening for Anemia among Children Attending Mansoura University Children’s Hospital

El-Ashry RA, Soliman OE, Fouda M, Abdel- Moneim M and Gad M

Background: Anemia is a serious public health problem as it mainly affects children growth and development. Prevalence of anemia in rural areas is more than urban areas due to poverty and poor dietary habits.

Aim of study: Detect correlation of anemia to nutritional status, socioeconomic status and parasitic infestation.

Patient and methods: 200 randomly selected children for taking dietetic history, food analysis for calculation of healthy eating index (HEI) score, CBC, serum iron, ferritin, TIBC and stool analysis.

Results: There is significant positive correlation between prevalence of anemia and socioeconomic status, healthy eating index-score and parasitic infestation.

Conclusion: Anemia is more common in lower SES population due to poor dietary habits that lead to poor HEI score. IDA is the most common type of anemia.