Things seen and unseen: 2. Anaemia affects urban rich Nigerian adolescents more than other socio-economic status groups

Abstract

Background: Anaemia is very prevalent globally and is thought to be linearly associated with wealth and to affect females and rural residents more than males and urban residents. Objectives: This study was designed to investigate this thought in a population of adolescents in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Methods: Standard clinical protocols were used. A total of 362 adolescents (63.5% females) were studied. Anaemia was diagnosed on the basis of the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Results: Aggregate anaemia was found in 50.0% of the general population (43.9% males, 53.5% females) and was most prevalent in the urban upper socio-economic status (SES) group (62.3%; 70.0% females, 52.2% males). Severe anaemia was present in 7.2% of the general population (9.1% males, 6.1% females). It was most prevalent amongst the 10–11 years age bracket (15.6%). Moderate and mild anaemia were found in 22.4% and 20.4% of the general population and in 13.0%, 11.4%, 8.3% and 6.0% of the urban upper, rural, urban low and middle SES groups, respectively. But in the rural area group, severe anaemia existed without wide sex variations. Moderate anaemia was most prevalent in the urban middle and upper SES groups (29.0% and 26.4%, respectively) with a clear female preponderance. Mild anaemia was the least prevalent (15.3%) in the urban middle SES group. Conclusions: The higher prevalence of severe anaemia in boys and the higher burden in the urban higher SES group warrant a rethink of the public health interventions used in Nigeria. Adolescent boys and urban upper SES groups should be targeted in nutrition interventions related to anaemia.