Background

In very young children, anaemia has been linked to increased morbidity, mortality and poor cognitive development. Although Burundi has a high burden of anaemia, which may be worsened by the high burden of malaria, little is known about the extent of the problem in very young children who are most at risk of severe disease. We estimated the prevalence, and assessed the factors associated with anaemia in children aged 6–24 months using baseline data collected as part of an on-going study evaluating the effect of Micronutrient supplementation on anaemia and cognition among children in high malaria transmission settings in Burundi.

Methods

Between February and March 2020, surveys were conducted in 498 households within the catchment area of Mukenke Health Center. One child aged 6–24 months was selected per household to participate in the survey. Following written informed consent, we administered a questionnaire to the child’s primary caregiver to capture information on child’s demographics, nutritional status, food intake, health (status, and morbidity and treatment-seeking practices), as well as the household markers of wealth. A physical exam was conducted, and a blood sample was collected to: 1) assess for presence of plasmodium infection using a rapid diagnosis test; 2) estimate the haemoglobin levels using a portable haemocue machine. A stool sample was also collected to examine for the presence of helminth infections.

Results

The prevalence of anaemia was 74.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 61.5%-84.0%), with most of the anaemic study participants classified as having moderate anaemia (59.2%). A total of 62 (12.5%) participants had positive malaria rapid diagnosis tests. Factors significantly associated with higher odds of developing anaemia included not receiving deworming medication (adjusted Odd ratio [aOR] = 3.54, 95% CI 1.79–6.99, p<0.001), the child’s home location (Mukenke II: aOR = 2.22, 95% CI 1.89–2.62, p<0.001; Mukenke: aOR = 2.76, 95% CI 2.46–3.10, p<0.001 and Budahunga: aOR = 3.12, 95% CI 2. 94–3.31, p<0.001) and the child’s age group (Children aged 6–11 months: aOR = 2.27, 95% CI 1.32–3.91, p<0.001). Education level was inversely associated with less odds of anaemia: child’s primary care giver with a secondary (aOR = 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47–0.95, p = 0,024) and tertiary education level (aOR = 0.48; 95% CI: 0.38–0.61, p<0.001).

Conclusion

Anaemia is highly prevalent among young children in high malaria transmission setting. Anaemia is more prevalent among children who not dewormed and those with malaria. To prevent the long-term adverse outcomes of the anaemia in children, policy makers should focus on improving uptake of the deworming and malaria prevention programs, promote preventive interventions and improve the education of women especially in families with very young children.