EVALUATION OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AND ITS IMPACT ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN PEDIATRIC POPULATION OF KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA (KPK), PAKISTAN.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among children aged 2 12 years in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan.

Methods: The study involved 100 children (2-12 years) of KPK in a cross sectional study. Blood was analyzed both on hemoglobin and iron deficiency and physical development was analyzed by measuring height and weight. The standardized tests were used to measure cognitive performance. The SPSS was used to analyze the data through descriptive statistics, Chi-square and regression analysis.

Results: out of 100 patients 48% iron deficiency anemia (IDA) of children/children enrolled in the study, 30 % mild anemia, 12% moderate anemia, and 6% severe anemia. The average age of the participants was 8.3295 or 8.3 years. The parameters of physical growth in children with IDA were significantly lower in comparison with their non-anemic counterparts. Particularly, the average height of anemic children was 110 cm +/- 7 cm and the mean weight was 19.5 kg +/- 3.5 kg, on the other hand, non-anemic children have an average height of 118 cm +/- 6 cm and an average weight of 22.4 kg +/- 4.2 kg (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: the prevalence of IDA in children in KPK is very high with serious adverse consequences on the physical and cognitive developments. These results demonstrate that the social and health-related factors of IDA, such as iron supplementation and dietary knowledge, should be used to enhance child health results in the area.