Аңдатпа
Background Anemia remains to be a public health problem with major consequences for human health in parts of the European WHO region, for example, former Soviet Republics of Central Asia. Children under 5 years is one of the most vulnerable groups or anaemia. Most of the research in Kazakhstan has been performed in capital cities – Almaty and Astana while the evidence from less privileged areas is very limited. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of anaemia in children under 5 years in three remote areas in the North of Kazakhstan. Methods A cross-sectional study. Random samples of children aged 6-59 months from Aktobe (n = 251), Pavlodar (n = 256) and North Kazakhstan (n = 250) counties were selected. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin level <11.0 g/dL. Moderate and severe anemia were defined as Hb<10.0 g/dL and Hb <7.0 g/dL, respectively. Geographic variations across counties and settings (urban vs. rural) were studied by chi-squared tests. Results The overall prevalence of anaemia was 48.6% (95%CI:42.5-54.8), 44.9% (95%CI: 38.9-51.0) and 40.0% (95%CI: 34.1-46.2) in Aktobe, Pavlodar and North Kazakhstan counties, respectively, not reaching the level of statistical significance. The prevalence of moderate and severe anaemia was 17.9% (95%CI: 13.7-23.1) and 1.6% (95%CI:0.6-4.0) in Aktobe, 20.3% (95%CI: 15.8-25.7) and 0% (0-1.4) in Pavlodar and 15.2% (95%CI: 11.3-20.2) and 0.8% (95%CI: 0.2-2.9) in North Kazakhstan counties. No difference in the prevalence of anaemia between urban (44.7% (95%CI: 40.7-48.8)) and rural 43.9% (95%CI: 36.8-51.2) settings was observed. Children under 2 years of age had higher prevalence of anaemia (59.8% vs. 35.8%, p < 0.001) than children aged 2 years and older. Conclusions Nearly a half of under 5 years old children in Northern counties of Kazakhstan have anaemia, which is comparable to other developing settings. Younger children were more likely to have anaemia. No geographic or urban-rural variations in the prevalence of anaemia were found. Measures directed at the prevention and control of anemia, including supplementation and fortification programs are needed to improve the situation. Key messages Nearly a half of under 5 years old children in Northern counties of Kazakhstan have anaemia. No geographic or urban-rural variations in the prevalence of anaemia were found.