Prevalence of Anemia and Associated Factors Among Hospitalized Children Attending the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Anemia in children continues to be a major public health challenge in most developing countries, particularly in Africa. In the early stages of life, it leads to severe negative consequences on the cognitive functions as well as growth and development of the children, which may persist even after treatment. OBJECTIVE: The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of anemia among hospitalized children attending at university of Gondar comprehensive and specialized referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. METHOD: A cross sectional study was conducted on 384 hospitalized children, between February and June, 2018. Data of socio demographic characteristics and clinical conditions of the study individuals were collected using questionnaire after taking appropriate written informed consent and assent. Then 3 mL of blood was collected for complete blood count analysis and also stool examination was done for intestinal parasites. Data were coded, cleared and entered into SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify associated factors of anemia. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULT: The overall magnitude of anemia among hospitalized children was 58.6%; of them 56.4% were males. Of anemic children, 28% had mild, 51.1% moderate and 20.9% severe anemia. The magnitude of anemia among children aged 6-59 months, 5-11 years and 12-14 years were 54.1%, 58.9% and 67.5%, respectively. In this study, anemia was positively associated with parasitic infection (AOR= 2.541; 95% CI: 1.363, 4.737), not eating meat and animal products (AOR = 1.615; 95% CI: 1.014, 2.574). CONCLUSION: Anemia among hospitalized children in this study was found to be a severe public health problem. It was strongly associated with intestinal parasitic infection and not eating meat and animal products. Focused polices and strategies should be designed to reduce anemia among hospitalized children in Ethiopia.