The World Health Organization (WHO) has published new hemoglobin cutoff points for defining anemia and its measurement. This change could impact the prevalence of anemia, particularly in countries with populations living in high-altitude areas. This study estimates the national prevalences of anemia in children aged 6–59 months using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 1989 and WHO 2024 criteria. Data from 406,106 children in 48 countries (45 Demographic and Health Surveys [DHS Program] and 3 Andean [Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru]) were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of anemia was 61.4% according to the WHO 2024 criteria. Three countries showed changes in anemia prevalence, with shifts of 10 or more percentage points (Uganda, Rwanda, and Jordan). Across all the studied countries, the prevalence of anemia was higher at greater altitudes, rural areas, and children from households of low wealth quintiles, regardless of the criteria used. Moreover, changes in anemia prevalence were identified when stratified by altitude of residence, showing differences in the levels of public health significance across various political–administrative regions in Andean countries. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights into the epidemiology of anemia and highlight the need for continued surveillance and targeted interventions to effectively address this global health challenge.

中文翻译：

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使用世界卫生组织 6 年新标准对 59-2024 个月儿童贫血患病率的变化


世界卫生组织 （WHO） 发布了用于定义贫血及其测量的新血红蛋白临界点。这种变化可能会影响贫血的患病率，尤其是在人口居住在高海拔地区的国家。本研究使用疾病控制和预防中心 （CDC） 1989 年和 WHO 2024 年标准估计了 6-59 个月儿童贫血的全国患病率。分析了来自 48 个国家/地区（45 项人口和健康调查 [DHS 计划] 和 3 项安第斯 [厄瓜多尔、玻利维亚和秘鲁]）的 406,106 名儿童的数据。根据 WHO 61.4 年标准，贫血的汇总患病率为 2024%。3 个国家的贫血患病率发生了变化，变化了 10 个百分点或更多（乌干达、卢旺达和约旦）。在所有研究的国家中，无论使用何种标准，高海拔地区、农村地区和来自低财富五分之一家庭的儿童的贫血患病率都较高。此外，当按居住海拔高度分层时，确定了贫血患病率的变化，显示了安第斯国家各个政治行政区域公共卫生重要性水平的差异。总体而言，这些发现为贫血的流行病学提供了宝贵的见解，并强调了持续监测和有针对性的干预措施以有效应对这一全球健康挑战的必要性。