Anemia, micronutrient deficiencies, malaria, hemoglobinopathies and malnutrition in young children and non-pregnant women in Ghana: Findings from a national survey

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorBentil, H.
dc.contributor.authorWegmuller, R.
dc.contributor.authorWirth, J.P.
dc.contributor.authorPetry, N.
dc.contributor.authorTanumihardjo, S.A.
dc.contributor.authorAllen, L.
dc.contributor.authorWilliams, T.N.
dc.contributor.authorSelenje, L.
dc.contributor.authorMahama, A.
dc.contributor.authorAmoaful, E.
dc.contributor.authorSteiner-Asiedu, M.
dc.contributor.authorAdu-Afarwuah, S.
dc.contributor.authorRohner, F.
dc.date.accessioned2020-03-05T10:08:38Z
dc.date.available2020-03-05T10:08:38Z
dc.date.issued2020-01-30
dc.descriptionResearch Articleen_US
dc.description.abstractNationally representative data on the micronutrient status of Ghanaian women and children are very scarce. We aimed to document the current national prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, anemia, malaria, inflammation, α-thalassemia, sickle cell disease and trait, and under- and over-nutrition in Ghana. In 2017, a two-stage cross-sectional design was applied to enroll pre-school children (6–59 months) and non-pregnant women (15–49 years) from three strata in Ghana: Northern, Middle and Southern Belt. Household and individual questionnaire data were collected along with blood samples. In total, 2123 households completed the household interviews, 1165 children and 973 women provided blood samples. Nationally, 35.6% (95%CI: 31.7,39.6) of children had anemia, 21.5% (18.4,25.0) had iron deficiency, 12.2% (10.1,14.7) had iron deficiency anemia, and 20.8% (18.1,23.9) had vitamin A deficiency; 20.3%(15.2,26.6) tested positive for malaria, 13.9% (11.1,17.3) for sickle trait plus disease, and 30.7% (27.5,34.2) for α-thalassemia. Anemia and micronutrient deficiencies were more prevalent in rural areas, poor households and in the Northern Belt. Stunting and wasting affected 21.4% (18.0,25.2) and 7.0% (5.1,9.5) of children, respectively. Stunting was more common in rural areas and in poor households. Among non-pregnant women, 21.7% (18.7,25.1) were anemic, 13.7% (11.2,16.6) iron deficient, 8.9% (6.7,11.7) had iron deficiency anemia, and 1.5% (0.8,2.9) were vitamin A deficient, 53.8% (47.6,60.0) were folate deficient, and 6.9% (4.8,9.8) were vitamin B12 deficient. Malaria parasitemia in women [8.4% (5.7,12.2)] was lower than in children, but the prevalence of sickle cell disease or trait and α-thalassemia were similar. Overweight [24.7% (21.0,28.8)] and obesity [14.3% (11.5,17.7)] were more common in wealthier, older, and urban women. Our findings demonstrate that anemia and several micronutrient deficiencies are highly present in Ghana calling for the strengthening of Ghana’s food fortification program while overweight and obesity in women are constantly increasing and need to be addressed urgently through governmental policies and programsen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipUNICEF and Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development through a grant between UNICEF Ghana and the University of Ghana (#43210308). TNW was funded through a fellowship from the Wellcome Trust (#202800). Funding for the development of this manuscript was provided by GroundWork, and page charges were borne by UNICEF.en_US
dc.identifier.citationWegmu¨ller R, Bentil H, Wirth JP, Petry N, Tanumihardjo SA, Allen L, et al. (2020) Anemia, micronutrient deficiencies, malaria, hemoglobinopathies and malnutrition in young children and non-pregnant women in Ghana: Findings from a national survey. PLoS ONE 15(1): e0228258. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0228258en_US
dc.identifier.otherhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0228258
dc.identifier.urihttp://ugspace.ug.edu.gh/handle/123456789/35122
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherPlos Oneen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries15;1
dc.subjectGhanaian womenen_US
dc.subjectchildrenen_US
dc.subjectblood samplesen_US
dc.subjectmicronutrienten_US
dc.titleAnemia, micronutrient deficiencies, malaria, hemoglobinopathies and malnutrition in young children and non-pregnant women in Ghana: Findings from a national surveyen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Anemia-micronutrient-deficiencies-malaria-hemoglobinopathies-and-malnutrition-in-young-children-and-nonpregnant-women-in-Ghana-Findings-from-a-national-surveyPLoS-ONE.pdf
Size:
1.13 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.6 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Department of Nutrition and Food Science