Anemia among School Adolescents in Haramaya Town, Eastern Ethiopia: Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Anemia is a condition characterized by reduction in the number of red blood cells and/or hemoglobin concentration. It affects 24.8% of the world population. There is little evidence on burden of anemia among adolescents in low income countries like Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of anemia and factors associated with anemia among school adolescents in eastern Ethiopia. Methods: School based cross-sectional study was conducted among 493 school adolescents in Haramaya town during February 1 to 28, 2017. Multi stage cluster sampling technique was used. We collected anthropometric data (weight and height) and hemoglobin level of all study participants. The hemoglobin level was adjusted for altitude. Data were entered into EpiData and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with anemia. Level of statistical significance was declared at P