title: [Risk factors for anemia in infants aged 6-12 months from rural areas of southern Shaanxi Province, China].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of anemia and related risk factors in infants aged 6-12 months from rural areas of southern Shaanxi Province.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire survey was used to collect the basic information on infants aged 6-12 months and their families from rural areas of southern Shaanxi Province, China. The content of hemoglobin was measured in these infants. A multivariate logistic stepwise regression analysis was performed to determine the risk factors for the development of anemia in infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1 802 infants and their families participated in the survey, and there were 1 770 valid samples. A total of 865 infants (865/1 770, 48.87%) were found to have anemia. The multivariate logistic stepwise regression analysis showed that breastfeeding after birth (lack of scientific supplementary food) increased the risk of anemia in infants (OR=1.768, P<0.01). Addition of supplementary food which met the criteria for minimum feeding frequency recommended by WHO (OR=0.779, P<0.05) and formula milk feeding (OR=0.658, P<0.01) were protective factors against anemia in infants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the rural areas in southern Shaanxi Province, anemia in infants aged 6-12 months is still a serious public health problem. Improper feeding can increase the risk of anemia in infants, and scientific addition of supplementary food is the key to reducing anemia in infants.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. lxzhang.ccap@igsnrr.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Ren-Fu
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Cheng-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lin-Xiu
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yue
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology*; D001942:Breast Feeding; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors