Assessment of Iron Nutritional Status in A Group of Jordanian School Children Aged 6-12 Years in Deir Alla District

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the nutritional status of iron in a sample of school children aged 6-12 years in a rural area at Deir Alla District in Al-Balqa Governorate, Jordan. A sample of 108 children (54 males, 54 females), aged between 6-12 years, were selected from primary schools of Deir Alla District. A validated and adopted questionnaire was used to collect data for the children families and data about health and life style for children and their parents. A three- day food recall was also used to collect dietary intake data. Height and body weight were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for evaluating the anthropometric status. Hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and serum ferritin concentrations were measured. The results showed that 9.26% of children had iron deficiency anemia (IDA), where hemoglobin was <11.5 g/dl, MCV was <80 fl and serum ferritin was <15 μg/l. Anemia (without IDA) was found in 14.81% of children, where hemoglobin was <11.5 g/dl, and iron deficiency was found in 38.9% of children, at ferritin level of <15 μg/l. No significant difference for hemoglobin, MCV, and serum ferritin values existed among different groups. Mean intake of iron was the highest among children at age of 11-12 years. No significant differences were observed between children in any of the anthropometric measurements (P>0.05). Regarding the family awareness of dietary intake, there was significant difference in importance of taking breakfast daily, taking tea with meals, and taking snacks between meals among the children with different iron status. It could be concluded that iron deficiency is common in children in Al-Balqa Governorate, since up to 9.26% of Jordanian children developed iron deficiency anemia (IDA), 14.81% developed anemia, and 38.9% had iron deficiency (ID).

Keywords: Iron status, School children, Jordan, Deir Alla

DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/113-03

Publication date: January 31^st 2024