PREVALENCE OF ANEMIA AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG CHILDREN IN KSA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Objective: To determine the prevalence of anemia among children aged 12 years and less in the Saudi population

Methods: This study employs a cross-sectional design to assess the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among children aged 12 years or less in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). A cross-sectional approach allows for the collection of data at a single point in time from a diverse group of participants.

Results: The study included 587 participants. The most frequent gender among them was Male (n= 316, 53.8%) followed by Female (n= 271, 46%). The most frequent BMI among study participants was normal 5-85 kg/m² (n= 570, 97.1%), followed by obese more than 95 kg/m² (n= 15, 2.6%). The most frequent age value among study participants was 4-6 years (n= 296, 50%) followed by 10-12 years (n= 166, 28%). The most frequent anemia level among them was non-anemia (n= 308, 52%), followed by Moderate anemia (n= 126, 21%). Participants were asked about their parents' educational level. The most frequent education for fathers among study participants was university (n= 395, 67.3%), followed by school (n= 159, 27.1%). The most frequent education for mothers among study participants was university (n= 383, 65.2%), followed by school (n= 144, 24.5%). Participants were asked about their eating if they eat red meat; the most frequent answer was yes (n= 380, 64.7%); other hands answered no (n= 207, 35.3%), and about eating green vegetables, yes (n=267, 45.5%), in other hands no (n=320, 54.5%). The eating citrus consumption the most answered yes (n=345, 58.8%), followed by no (242, 41.2%). The most frequently were not exposed to smoking (n=454, 77.3%), exposed to smoking (n=133, 22.6%).

Conclusion: The results of the study showed that most of the children are male and the most of there weight was normal according to their BMI. Most of them were children of university-educated fathers and mothers. Most children have not been exposed to smoking. Most of them relied on eating red meat and Citrus consumption, in addition to drinking milk. Most study participants had good communication.