Prevalência e distribuição espacial de anemia em escolares que ingressaram na primeira série do ensino fundamental das escolas públicas de Maringá-PR no ano de 2007

Abstract

Introduction: Anemia is a problem of public health which affects urbanized countries as well as the ones under development, generating negative consequences to the human health, and to social and economical order. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of anemia in children in the beginning of a first grade of Elementary School in public schools of the municipal district of Maringá-PR, in the year of 2007, to analyze the space distribution of the disease and the factors associated to its occurrence. Methodology: It was a transversal study, carried out in 57 public schools of Maringá-PR, with a sample population of 371 students. Data was collected between February and July, 2008. Blood was collected from the middle finger and the hemoglobin dosage (Hb) was obtained by HemoCue, and the anemia was classified by the World Health Organization established criterion, Hb <11,5g/dl. The univariate and multivariate analysis for the variables related to the event were accomplished. The Moran Global (I) e Local (LISA) indices were calculated to verify the space autocorrelation of the disease, with the purpose of identifying the existence of a pattern in the distribution of the anemia. Results: The prevalence of the anemia was of 39.3%. A significant association was noticed between anemia and number of children, being verified that in families with more than 3 children a child has 8.6 times more chance of having the disease when compared to other families. The analysis of the pattern of space distribution allowed to confirm and to visualize through Moran's Index, that the variables did not present a uniform spatialization, that is, they possessed differentiated pattern of distribution. Larger concentration of the disease were identified in peripheral areas, which are areas of larger risk for its occurrence.