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Iron deficiency and anemia: disparity exists between children in American Samoa and children living within the US

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 62, pages 754–760 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Healthy People 2010 emphasizes elimination of health disparity and improvements in anemia and iron deficiency (ID). The study purpose was to (1) determine the prevalence of anemia, ID and ID anemia (IDA) in children living in American Samoa and (2) compare the prevalence to that found in children living in the United States.

Subjects/Methods:

A total of 211 children from American Samoa, aged 1–5 years of age, participated in this cross-sectional study. Prevalence of anemia, ID and IDA were determined and comparison made using data obtained from children living in the United States. Anemia was diagnosed as hemoglobin (Hb) <110.0 g/l, ID as erythrocyte protoporphyrin (EP) >70 μmol/mol heme and IDA as Hb <110.0 g/l and EP >70 μmol/mol heme.

Results:

Anemia, ID and IDA prevalence was 33, 70 and 33%, respectively. The results of children from the United States were as follows: anemia, 9%; ID, 10% and IDA, 2%. Within American Samoan children, ID is positively associated with being breastfed <6 months (P<0.05) and anemia and IDA with lower household income (P<0.05; P<0.01). Mean Hb was significantly lower (P<0.001) and mean EP was significantly higher (P<0.001) than those within children living in the United States.

Conclusion:

To meet Healthy People 2010 goals in children aged 1–2 years, the prevalence of ID in children living in American Samoa would need to decrease from 83 to 5% and in children aged 3–5 years from 59 to 1%. It is critical to ensure that populations within the United States and its territories are provided appropriate resources to promote health and prevent disease.

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Acknowledgements

A Sam Gerber, MS, RD, Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Nicky Davison, Project Administrator, Healthy Living in the Pacific Islands Project, University of Hawaii- Manoa assisted with project coordination and data collection. Geraldine Perry, DrPH, RD, Division of Adult and Community Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, provided consultation for the anemia assessment. This work was primarily funded by the Office of Minority Health, CDC and the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, USUHS, with additional funding provided by the University of Hawaii (USDA/ADAP grant no. 00-38826-9180).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Wellness Services, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA

    T M Kemmer

  2. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA

    T M Kemmer

  3. University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA

    R Novotny

  4. Department of Dietary Services, Lyndon B Johnson Tropical Medical Center, Pago Pago, AS, USA

    I Ah Ping

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  1. T M Kemmer
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  2. R Novotny
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  3. I Ah Ping
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Correspondence to T M Kemmer.

Additional information

Contributors: TMK, contributed to the concept and design, obtained funding, conducted the study, analyzed and interpreted the data, and drafted this paper. RN contributed to the initial concept and design, acquisition of funding and implementation of the study. Provided recommendations about the interpretation of data analysis and contributed to writing the manuscript. IAP, contributed to coordination and conduct of the study and critical revision of the article for important intellectual content.

Conflict of interest

These authors declare no conflict of interest.

Disclaimer: ‘The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army, Department of Defence, or US Government.

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Kemmer, T., Novotny, R. & Ah Ping, I. Iron deficiency and anemia: disparity exists between children in American Samoa and children living within the US. Eur J Clin Nutr 62, 754–760 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602786

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