Risk factors for iron deficiency in a hospitalized urban New Zealand population.
OBJECTIVE
To determine which dietary practices and sociodemographic factors are associated with iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) and iron deficiency (ID) in hospitalized New Zealand children.


METHODS
A prospective study of children 8-23 months of age hospitalized with an acute illness from 1997 to 1999. Iron deficiency was defined as abnormal values for two out of three of serum ferritin (< 10 micro g/L), serum iron saturation (< 10%) and red cell distribution width (> 14.5%). Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) was defined as ID + serum haemoglobin concentration <110 g/L. Those with IDA or ID were compared separately with those who were not iron deficient.


RESULTS
Three hundred and ninety-one children were enrolled. Two hundred and twenty had IDA, 73 had ID and 98 were not iron deficient. In a multivariate analysis, those children who had a diagnosis of pneumonia (odds ratio 4.43, 95% CI 1.49, 13.13) were Pacific (odds ratio 6.31, 95% CI 2.14, 18.63), were currently drinking breast milk (odds ratio 10.22, 95% CI 2.95, 35.42), had a mother who restricted her meat intake during pregnancy (odds ratio 4.40, 95% CI 1.53, 12.64) or lived in a household with more than three children (odds ratio 7.42, 95% CI 1.88, 29.34) were at increased risk of IDA. Those children who were Pacific (odds ratio 5.44, 95% CI 1.37, 21.65) or who drank tea (odds ratio 7.88, 95% CI 1.10, 56.33) were at increased risk of ID. Those with a diagnosis of gastroenteritis (odds ratio 0.16, 95% CI 0.03, 0.75) were at decreased risk of ID.


CONCLUSIONS
Both dietary and non-dietary factors are associated with an increased risk of IDA and ID in New Zealand children. In this hospitalized sample, more non-dietary than dietary factors were associated with poor iron status.
Grant
C C
CC
Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, New Zealand. cc.grant@auckland.ac.nz
Wall
C R
CR
Wilson
C
C
Taua
N
N
D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D009752:Nutritional Status; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population
D019266:Iron, Dietary