ANAEMIA IN CHILDREN AGED 7 MONTHS TO 12 YEARS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF CHILDREN ADMITTED AT THE EFFIDUASE DISTRICT HOSPITAL AND AHMADIYYA MISSION HOSPITAL, GHANA

A number of factors have been identified as influencing the prevalence of anaemia in children. In the Sekyere East district, an increasing trend of children with severe anaemia leading to haemotransfusion has been observed. Over a three-month period (June to August 2022) approximately one hundred (100) children were haemotransfused due to severe anaemia in the Effiduase district hospital. This quantitative oriented study adopted the descriptive cross-sectional study design. Specifically, the study sought to explore the prevalence of childhood anaemia and its associated factors in the district. Purposive sampling technique which is a non-probability (non-randomized) was used to select children and their guardians to partake in the study. SPSS statistical software version 25 was used to analyze quantitative data of this study and data were presented in frequencies using tables. This study has accentuated high prevalence of anaemia in the Sekyere East district looking at the various findings brought to light by the Haemoglobin (Hb) blood analysis, Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) blood tests and the Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) test results. The findings from the study have also shown that malaria in children is significantly associated with the onset of childhood anaemia. The study additionally revealed moderate nutritional intake of food products very rich in iron, vitamin B12 and folate nutrients necessary to curb anaemia in children. In conclusion, study findings therefore underscore the need for multi-faceted approaches that address both malaria control and nutrition in order to reduce anaemia among the children in the Sekyere East district.