Effects of deworming medication on anaemia among children aged 6-59 months in sub-Saharan Africa.
Andy Bauleni, Fentanesh N Tiruneh, Tisungane E Mwenyenkulu, Owen Nkoka, Gowokani C Chirwa, Steve Gowelo, Michael G Chipeta, Peter A M Ntenda
Author Information
Andy Bauleni: Malaria Alert Centre, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Private Bag 360, Chichiri, Blantyre 3, Malawi.
Fentanesh N Tiruneh: Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Faculty of Chemical and Food Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Tisungane E Mwenyenkulu: Department of Clinical Sciences, Academy of Medical Sciences, Malawi University of Science and Technology, PO Box 5196, Limbe, Malawi.
Owen Nkoka: Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Gowokani C Chirwa: Department of Economics, Chancellor College, University of Malawi, P.O. Box 280, Zomba, Malawi.
Steve Gowelo: Malaria Alert Centre, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Private Bag 360, Chichiri, Blantyre 3, Malawi.
Michael G Chipeta: Geospatial Epidemiology, Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX3 7LF, UK.
Peter A M Ntenda: Malaria Alert Centre, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Private Bag 360, Chichiri, Blantyre 3, Malawi. peterantenda@yahoo.com. ORCID
BACKGROUND: Despite the limited knowledge regarding the effects of deworming medication (DM) on nutritional indicators in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), deworming programmes continue to be implemented in resource-limited countries. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the effects of DM on anaemia among children aged 6-59 months in SSA. METHODS: The analysis was performed using data obtained from 17 demographic and health surveys (DHSs) conducted in SSA. Children were considered to be anaemic if their haemoglobin (Hb) concentration was less than 11.0 g/dl, adjusting for altitude. To account for both multiple measures at the cluster level and the clustering of children within the same country, generalized linear mixed models were used to analyse the anaemia outcomes in 50,075 children aged 6-59 months. RESULTS: Overall, anaemia was reported in 61.8% of the children, and their median Hb concentration was 10.5 g/dl (interquartile range 9.4-11.5). The prevalence of anaemia ranged from 34.5% in Rwanda to 81.1% in Mali. Multivariate analyses showed that children who did not receive DM had increased odds of being anaemic (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-1.16). CONCLUSIONS: The current study revealed that DM can decrease the risk of anaemia among preschool-age children (pre-SAC) in SSA. Thus, tailored public health programmes aimed at reducing childhood anaemia need to consider deworming. However, longitudinal studies are needed to validate the association that has been reported in this cross-sectional study.
