Fatores associados à anemia em adolescentes escolares

Abstract

Introduction: In adolescence, the loss of health due to the load of fatal and non-fatal diseases is mostly attributed to iron deficiency anemia, especially between 10 and 14 years old. There are many factors involved in the etiology of iron deficiency anemia, such as education, access to food in sufficient quantity and quality, and housing, which, to a large extent, are determined by socioeconomic condition and nutritional status. The prevalence of anemia in obesity has been attributed to the typical inflammatory processes of obesity, which stimulate the production of hepcidin that interrupts the release of iron to the bloodstream. Objectives: Identify the factors associated with the prevalence of anemia in adolescents from public schools. Methods: This work presents itself as a cross-sectional, descriptive and retrospective study. A sample of 512 school adolescents were assessed for socioeconomic and demographic status, results of blood tests and C-reactive protein – CRP, as well as anthropometric and food consumption data. The data on the forms were double-typed, by two typists, independently in their own spreadsheet, prepared in Microsoft Excel, then validated by the subprogram Validate of Epi Info 6.04. The statistical analysis process was performed by using the statistical software R, version 3.5.3, and its graphical interface R studio, version 1.1.463. A descriptive analysis of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics was performed. Fisher's exact test was calculated to quantify the association between the variables. The magnitude of the associations was expressed through the odds ratio and the respective confidence intervals. For all inferential procedures used, a significance level of 5% was adopted, considering statistically significant p <0.05. Results: In the sample, there was a prevalence of anemia in female sex adolescents of 3,9% (p=0, 0013). The adolescent’s food consumption were inadequate in fruits, greens and vegetables. Conclusion: In this study, the the female sex, stand out a main factor for the prevalence of anemia. Many studies have shown a lower consumption of iron among female adolescents, as well as the excessive consumption of ultra-processed and an insufficient consumption of fruits, vegetables and greens. Anemia was prevalent on female sex, following the world trend of developed and developing countries. This nutritional risk among the women of childbearing age has received WHO special attention, which established preventive supplementation for this group, when the prevalence is severe in the population.