Anaemia and associated factors among children aged 6-23 months in agrarian community of Bale zone: a cross-sectional study

Anaemia remains among the most prevalent nutritional problems among children in developing countries. In Ethiopia, more than half of children <5 years of age are anaemic. In the early stages of life, it leads to poor cognitive performance, delay psychomotor development and decreases working capacity in later life. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of anaemia among children aged 6-23 months in the Bale zone. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 100 30 June 2021. Multistage stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques were employed to select 770 samples. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic, child health and feeding practices. Haemoglobin levels were estimated using a portable Hemosmart machine. Children with haemoglobin values below 11 g/dl were considered anaemic. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with anaemia. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. The prevalence of anaemia was 47.9 % (95 % CI (44.4, 51.5)). The multivariate analysis showed that child age (6-11 months) (AOR 147; 95 % CI (1.06, 2.03)), household food insecurity (AOR 144; 95 % CI (1.01, 2.04)), having diarrhoea and cough in the past 2 weeks (AOR 1.70; 95 % CI (1.18, 2.44)) and (AOR 1.97; 95 % CI (1.28, 3.04), respectively), not consuming the recommended dietary diversity (AOR 2.72; 95 % CI (1.96, 3.77)) and stunting (AOR 1.88; 95 % CI (1.31, 2.70)) were significantly associated with anaemia. Anaemia in children aged 6-23 months was a severe public health problem in the study area. Integrated nutritional interventions combined with iron fortification and supplementation is recommended.