Control and Prevention of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children Aged 6 -12 Months

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) study the situation of anemia in children aged from 6 to 12 months, and 2) compare hemoglobin levels before and after implementation of an iron supplementation program . The sample consisted of 566 children, both male and female, age 6-12 months and 566 parents, who came to the well-baby clinic in 2018. The sample was divided into experimental and control groups, with 283 children in each group. These children were clients of the health promotion hospitals in region 5, in 2018. The program includes blood tests, evaluation of anemic condition and the administration of iron supplements. The instrument used for collecting data were a parent interview form and blood hemoglobin test. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and t-tests. The results found that children aged 6 and 9 months had an anemia rate of 16.9 % and 23.3 %, respectively. When taking iron supplements, the rate of anemia decreased to 13.4 % and 18.5 %, respectively. The parent’s knowledge of the intake of iron supplements was at a moderate level. The results from this study can be applied to adjust the policies of anemia screening system in well-baby clinics, and the development guidelines and advanced warning technologies such as mobile phone alerts to parents or the use of multimedia to give information.