title: Low prevalence of anemia in children aged 19 to 72 months in Chile.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 1974/75, the prevalence of anemia in Chilean preschoolers was 18.8%. Since 2000, the Chilean Ministry of Health has combated anemia through the delivery of iron-fortified milk by the National Complementary Feeding Program (NCFP).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of anemia in children aged 19 to 72 months who are beneficiaries of the NCFP.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional representative sample of 224 beneficiaries of the NCFP aged 19 to 72 months from the Santiago and Valparaiso regions was recruited.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean (+/- SD) hemoglobin concentration was 12.3 +/- 1.0 g/dL. Four percent of all children studied were anemic. In simple linear regression analysis, it was observed that hemoglobin concentration was positively correlated with age (r = 0.23, p = .001). There was no association between hemoglobin concentration and duration of breastfeeding (r = -0.12, p = .175). The prevalence of anemia among the 69% of children consuming iron-fortified milk delivered by NCFP was 2.6%, as compared with 7.1% among children not consuming iron-fortified milk (p = 0.227). Consumption of iron-fortified milk did not show a positive significant relationship with hemoglobin concentration (r = 0.063, p = .529). Similarly, multiple logistic regression did not show an association between consumption of fortified milk and anemia, after adjusting for sex, age, and breastfeeding (p = .150; OR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.95 to 0.10).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In 2009 anemia was not a public health problem in Chilean children aged 19 to 72 months from Santiago and Valparaiso.
authors: Micronutrients Laboratory, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago. abrito@ucdavis.edu
authors: Alex
authors: A
authors: Brito
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: Hertrampf
authors: Manuel
authors: M
authors: Olivares
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000818:Animals; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005260:Female; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D019266:Iron, Dietary