Iron deficiency and associated factors in Western Australian children aged 4-to-6 years
Kristin Zed1, Nina Calogero2, Darsy Darssan1, Analise Nicholl2, Kane Deering2, Therese O’Sullivan2 1School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia2Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
Abstract
Iron deficiency in children may impair growth and immunity and lead to anaemia. This study determined the prevalence of iron deficiency in a sample of Western Australian children and investigated factors predicting their iron status. Data were from the Milky Way Study (MWS) which investigated the cardiometabolic risk of children aged 4-to-6 years consuming regular versus reduced fat dairy products. All children who provided a blood sample in the MWS at baseline (n = 36) were included in the current study. Prevalence of iron deficiency was 27.8%. Iron-deficient participants were younger (4.9 years versus 5.5 years, p = 0.05) and more likely to have a mother with a high school education as opposed to a tertiary education (75% vs. 20%, p = 0.048). Mean daily iron intake was 7.3 ± 2.4 mg/day (recommended daily intake is 10 mg/day), however iron intake was not significantly correlated with iron deficiency. Mean daily vitamin C intake was a significant independent predictor of serum ferritin level, with an increase in intake of 10 mg per day of vitamin C associated with an increase of 1.9 μg/L of ferritin (95% CI 0.50-3.40, p = 0.01). No associations between iron status and socioeconomic status or child BMI were found. Improving parental knowledge of dietary sources of iron and vitamin C may help reduce iron deficiency in young children. Further research is needed to evaluate other risk factors for iron deficiency including delayed introduction to solids and consumption of cow’s milk prior to 1 year of age.
Biography
Nina Calogero is a Master of Nutrition and Dietetics student and research assistant at Edith Cowan University (ECU). In a former life, she worked as a lawyer for the Department of Health WA, which consolidated her interest in health equity and prompted a career switch to dietetics. Nina has a particular interest in nutritional biochemistry and aims to incorporate this into a PhD once she has completed her master’s degree.