Anemia among preschool children--a public health problem in Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Anemia entre pre-escolares--um problema de saude publica em Belo Horizonte, Brasil

This article seeks to establish the prevalence of anemia in children attending in day care centers in the South Central region of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais, identifying associated biological, social and economic factors. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 18 nurseries and 373 children were evaluated based on stratified sampling by the participating institutions. Hemoglobin serum (Hb) levels were determined by lancing and reading on a fi-hemoglobinometer, adopting cut-offs for anemia [beta] < 11.0g/ dL for children aged between 6 and 60 months and Hb < 11.5 g/dL for those aged above, as recommended by the WHO. The nutritional status was defined by measurement of weight and height for making indexes: Weight/Age (W/A), Height/Age (H/A) and BMI/Age (BMI/A). Among the participants, 54% were girls. The mean age was 38.1 ([+ or -] 6.2) months. The prevalence of global anemia was 38.3%. In the group of the anemics, children = 24 months had a higher prevalence (56.1%). A significant association was found between anemia and the following factors: young age, low maternal age and low income. The study shows that anemia in children enrolled in day care centers is a relevant public health problem, signaling the need to implement specific actions to mitigate the risks highlighted by the research.