Is overweight or obesity associated with anemia in children? Follow-up of Samoans in the Ola Tuputupua'e "Growing Up" study.

Globally, there is growing evidence of a double burden of malnutrition with obesity coexisting alongside micronutrient deficiencies across the life course. An emergent double burden poses a threat to health during childhood in Samoa: among 2–4-year-olds with overweight/obesity, 42.9% were anemic. Previous research suggests that obesity-related inflammation may increase the risk of iron deficiency or anemia in children. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether overweight/obesity at 2–4 is associated with anemia at 3.8–6 years old among Samoan children. Data were obtained from the Ola Tuputupua'e "Growing Up" cohort study. Overweight/obesity at 2–4 years old was classified by body mass index-for-age Z-score > +2 SD. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin < 110 g/L for under 5-year-olds and < 115 g/L for 5–6-year-olds. Prevalence ratios (PRs) for anemia at 3.8–6 years old were estimated by fitting modified Poisson regression models. In our sample of 197 children, 16.24% (n = 32) were affected by overweight/obesity at 2–4 years old and 26.90% (n = 53) had anemia at 3.8–6 years old. After covariate adjustment, the prevalence of anemia was 18% lower among children with overweight/obesity at 2–4 years old compared to those without (PR:0.82; 95% CI:0.42–1.63); however, the corresponding confidence interval was imprecise and inclusive of a higher prevalence. There was not strong evidence to support a relationship between overweight/obesity and anemia in Samoan children, suggesting that obesity-related inflammation may not be related to iron deficiency nor anemia in this setting. Further investigation of the antecedents of overweight/obesity and anemia is critical to inform integrated action to improve health in Samoa. • There is a moderate prevalence of both anemia and obesity among Samoan children aged 2-6 years. • No strong evidence to support a relationship between anemia and overweight/obesity. • Longitudinal research and interventions for anemia and overweight/obesity are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Obesity Research & Clinical Practice is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)