Statistical Modeling of Determinants of Anemia Prevalence among Children Aged 6–59 Months in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: Childhood anemia remains a significant public health challenge in developing countries, and it has negative consequences on the growth of the children. Therefore, it is essential to identify the determinants of childhood anemia, as these will help in formulating appropriate health policies in order to meet the United Nations MDG goal. This study aims to assess and model the determinants of the prevalence of anemia among children aged 6–59 months in Nigeria. To accomplish the aims of the study, the authors applied single-level and multilevel binary logistic regression models. METHODS: To measure the relative impact of individual and household-level factors for childhood anemia among children aged 6–59 months, this study undertakes data from Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys with both binary logistic and multilevel logistic regression models. The fit of the model was assessed by Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit, variance inflation factor, and likelihood ratio tests. RESULTS: The study established that about 67.01% of the children were anemic and identified sex of children, mother's education, religion, household wealth status, total children ever born, age of children, place of residence, and region to have a statistical significant effect on the prevalence of anemia. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for anemia was 0.56 (95% CI = 0.50, 0.63) in children aged from 24 to 42 months and 0.40 (95% CI = 0.36, 0.45) in children aged from 43 to 59 months. Also, children who reside in certain geographical-political zones of Nigeria are associated with increased childhood anemia. CONCLUSION: This study has highlighted the high prevalence of childhood anemia in Nigeria and indicated the need to improve mothers' education and regional variations. Findings from this study can help policymakers and public health institutions to map out programs targeting these regions as a measure of tackling the prevalence of anemia among the Nigerian populace.