Prevention and Control of Anemia Amongst Children India
Prevention and Control of Anemia Amongst Children India
Prevention and Control of Anemia Amongst Children India
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-019-02932-5
REVIEW ARTICLE
Received: 14 January 2019 / Accepted: 14 March 2019 / Published online: 11 May 2019
# Dr. K C Chaudhuri Foundation 2019
Abstract
Anemia is a major public health problem in India with prevalence of more than 50% amongst children and adolescents. The
decline in the burden of anemia has been insignificant over the past 5 decades. The present review assesses the National
Guidelines for Prevention and Control of Anemia in India, the current status of the program implementation and possible reasons
for the continued high prevalence of anemia in the country.
Adolescents (10–19 y)
Children (6–59 mo) 1 ml of IFA syrup containing 20 mg Biweekly supplementation throughout Through ASHA
of elemental iron and 100 mcg the period 6–59 mo of age and Inclusion of doses administrated to the child in
of folic acid de-worming for children 12 mo and Mother Child Protection card
above.
Children (5–9 y) 45 mg elemental iron Weekly supplementation throughout In school children, through teachers and for
and 400 mcg of folic acid the period 5–9 y of age and biannual out-of-school children, through ASHA
de-worming during home visits
Adolescents (10–19 y) 60 mg elemental iron and 500 mcg of Weekly supplementation throughout In school children, through teachers and in
folic acid the period 10–19 y of age and out-of-school children, through quarterly
biannual de-worming Adolescent Health Day component of
RKSK programme at AWC
ASHA Accredited Social Health Activist; AWC Anganwadi centre; IFA Iron folic acid; RKSK Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram
Table 2 Therapeutic supplementation of IFA on the basis of hemoglobin levels in children and adolescents [27]
Target group Who will screen and place Periodicity Treatment Follow-up Referral
of screening
Children 6–59 mo • ANM: VHND/sub-centre/ • RBSK/ANM: as per Mild and Moderate Anemia • Every month by ANM at VHND In case the child has not
session site scheduled microplan (7–10.9 g/dl): • Hb estimation after responded to the
• RBSK team: AWC/school • MO: opportunistic 3 mg of iron/kg/d for 2 mo: completing 2 mo of treatment treatment of anemia
• MO: health facility • For children 6–12 mo (6–10.9 kg): • Monitoring by ASHA for with daily dose of iron
1 ml IFA syrup, once a day compliance of IFA syrup every for 2 mo, refer the
• For children >1–3 y (11–14.9 kg): 14 d for a period of 2 mo child to the FRU/DH
1.5 ml IFA syrup, once a day If hemoglobin levels improve to MO/Pediatrician/Physician
• For children >3–5 y (15–19.9 kg): normal levels, the treatment is for further investigations.
Indian J Pediatr (June 2019) 86(6):523–531
Children 5–9 y RBSK team: in-school and • Once a year Mild and Moderate Anemia • Class teacher/ Nodal teacher at In case the child has not
out-of-school children • Opportunistic screening (8–11.4 g/dl): school to orient parents during responded to the
All children with clinical of Hb of children 3 mg of iron/kg/d for 2 mo Parent Teacher Meeting (PTM) treatment of anemia
signs and symptoms of visiting the health Line listing of all anemic cases is for compliance of treatment. with daily dose of iron
anemia are referred to facility. to be maintained in the school • Parents to ensure follow-up of for 2 mo, refer the
SC/PHC for Hb register for IFA supplementation child after 30 d and 60 d at the child to the FRU/DH
estimation and further and given to the ANM/LHV/Multiple nearest SC/health facility MO/Pediatrician/Physician
management. purpose health worker for • Follow-up by ANM/LHV/MPHW for further investigation.
designated area. of designated area, as feasible.
• Hb estimation after completing
2 mo of treatment
• If hemoglobin levels improve to
normal levels, the treatment is
discontinued, but the prophylactic
IFA dose is continued
Severe Anemia (<8 g/dl):
• Refer urgently to DH/FRU
• Management of severe anemia in
children of 5–9 y is to be done
by the MO at the FRU/DH based
on investigations.
525
526
Table 2 (continued)
Target group Who will screen and place Periodicity Treatment Follow-up Referral
of screening
All school-going adolescents In school premises Annually Mild and Moderate Anemia • Line listing of all anemic cases If no improvement after
10–19 y in government/ by RBSK team (8–11.9 g/dl): is to be maintained in the three mo of treatment,
government-aided Two IFA tablets (each with 60 mg school register for IFA ANM/MO of nearest
schools elemental iron and 500 mcg supplementation and given to facility to refer the
folic acid), once daily, for 3 mo, the ANM/LHV/MPHW of adolescent to FRU/DH
orally after meals designated area
• Follow-up by ANM/LHV/MPHW
of designated area, as feasible
• Parents to ensure follow-up of
adolescent after 45 d to 90 d at
the nearest sub-centre/ health facility
• If hemoglobin levels improve to
normal levels, the treatment is
discontinued, but the prophylactic
IFA dose is continued
Severe Anemia (<8 g/dl):
Management of severe anemia in
adolescents (10–19 y) is to be
done by the MO at FRU/DH
based on investigations.
ANM Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery; ASHA Accredited Social Health Activist; AWC Anganwadi centre; DH District hospital; FRU First referral units; Hb Hemoglobin; IFA Iron folic acid; LHV Lady Health
Visitor; MO Medical Officer; MPHW Multi Purpose Health Worker; PHC Primary health centre; RBSK Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram; SC Sub-centre; VHND Village Health Nutrition Day
Indian J Pediatr (June 2019) 86(6):523–531
Indian J Pediatr (June 2019) 86(6):523–531 527
Albendazole tablets (400 mg) are also provided to children clinical pallor are referred to Primary health care (PHC)/
every 6 mo for de-worming. Half tablet is administered to Mobile Medical/Health Teams for estimation of hemoglobin
children between 1 and 2 y age and 1 full tablet is adminis- and treatment of anemia.
tered to children in the age group of 2 y and above [27].
IFA syrup bottles are kept with mothers for administration
of IFA to their children. ASHA demonstrates the mothers/ Reasons for Continued High Prevalence
caregivers regarding the procedure to provide IFA syrup of Anemia
through the autodispenser bottle and instructions for storage
of IFA bottle in a cool and dark place, away from the reach of Impact of Iron Supplementation on Hemoglobin
children and for closing the lid of the bottle tightly each time Levels
after administration etc. ASHA educates the mothers about the
following: i) benefits of IFA syrup on physical and cognitive Recent scientific evidence suggests that iron supplementation
development of the child, ii) methods for improving iron and could lead to increase in the mean blood hemoglobin (Hb)
folate content of the diets, iii) importance of sanitation and concentration by 8.0 g/L [95% Confidence Interval (CI):
hygienic practices for preventing worm infestation in the child 5.0—11.0] in children, 10.2 g/L (95% CI: 6.1—14.2) in preg-
and iv) possible side-effects associated with IFA administra- nant women and 8.6 g/L (95% CI: 3.9—13.4) in non-pregnant
tion such as black discoloration of stools [27]. women [4]. After applying these shifts to blood hemoglobin
ASHA undertakes fortnightly home visits and encourages (Hb) concentrations, it is estimated that about 42% of anemia
the mother to administer IFA syrup to their child themselves in in children and about 50% of anemia in women would be
ASHA's presence to build confidence of the mother [27]. All amenable to iron supplementation [4]. Another recent scien-
doses of IFA administered to the child are recorded in the tific evidence suggests that the response of iron therapy on Hb
Mother and Child Protection (MCP) card [27]. ASHA records levels in anemic subjects in the age group of 6 to 59 mo is low
compliance in the IFA compliance card attached with the in malarial non-hyperendemic region (37.9-62.3%) and hy-
MCP card and teaches the mothers to record the consumption perendemic regions (5.8-31.8%) [28]. However, in India, iron
of IFA after administering every dose in the MCP card. supplementation is the only major intervention which is being
The nutritional status of children assessed by Mid-upper implemented for combating anemia and hence the prevalence
arm circumference (MUAC) is also undertaken to ensure that continues to be high.
IFA syrup is not administered to children with Severe acute
malnutrition. Prophylactic iron supplementation is not given Administration of Prophylactic Doses to Anemic
to children who have known hemoglobinopathy or acute ill- Subjects
ness like fever, acute diarrhea, pneumonia etc [27].
In India, more than 50% children are presently suffering from
Implementation of Program for Children (5–9 y) anemia [8, 9]. However, only prophylaxis doses of iron are
and Adolescents (10–19 y) being supplemented to these children instead of therapeutic
doses. The prophylactic doses could possibly result in Hb
Children in the age group of 5–9 y are provided with weekly level to be maintained at the same level instead of improving.
supplementation of 45 mg elemental iron and 400 mcg folic
acid by teachers in government and government-aided schools Poor Bioavailability of Iron from Indian Diets
using spot feeding approach of IFA after the mid-day meal or
lunch break. Out-of-school children between 5 and 9 y are The Indian diets are primarily derived from cereals, pulses and
provided IFA tablets through ASHA during home visits. vegetables and contain approximately 7 mg of iron per
Biannual de-worming with Albendazole (400 mg) is also giv- 1000 kcal. Bioavailability of iron from the plant based sources
en to all children [27]. is low (5% in men and children and 8% in women) due to
Adolescents (10–19 y) are administered with weekly IFA presence of inhibitory factors such as phytates, polyphenols,
supplementation (WIFS) containing 60 mg elemental iron and tannins and oxalates [29].
500 mcg of folic acid throughout the period of 10–19 y of age
through a Bfixed day^ approach. Biannual de-worming with Role of Environmental Enteropathy
Albendazole (400 mg) is also given to all children [27].
Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) team under- Anemia in chronic diseases may be triggered by chronic
takes screening for anemia among children and adolescents inflammation of the gut and atrophy of the intestinal
studying in schools and Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya villi due to poor quality of water, sanitation and hygiene
Karyakram (RKSK) programme at Anganwadi centres for (WASH) conditions, characterized as environmental enter-
out-of-school children. All children and adolescents with opathy (EE). Inflammation leads to malabsorption of
528 Indian J Pediatr (June 2019) 86(6):523–531
nutrients and disturbs the iron homeostasis by reducing The request for procurement of IFA tablets is gener-
iron absorption and utilisation, suppressing hemoglobin ally made when these functionaries have nil stock. They
synthesis and red blood cell production [30, 31]. have not been trained to maintain buffer supplies of IFA.
Evidence suggests that the children who are exposed to The district and block level store officers have not been
poor WASH, open defecation have lower hemoglobin trained in minimum stock management system at the store
levels due to increased risk of intestinal infection and warehouses. The IFA stocks are generally procured by the
chronic gut inflammation [32–35]. In countries with high store in-charge when there is complete stock out. This
inflammation exposure, contribution of iron deficiency in leads to delay in indenting and procurement of new stock
anemia has been suggested to be low for pre-school chil- of IFA. IFA, at times, are supplied in bulk, with less shelf
dren (20%) and non-pregnant women of reproductive age life or near to expiry date, which are provided to the health
(25%) [11]. workers for further distribution. First in first out mecha-
nism for management of IFA stocks is not practised.
iv) Monitoring and record keeping mechanisms for track-
Current Status of Implementation of Anemia ing the coverage of iron supplementation by teachers
Programme and AWW/ASHA has not been fully established [38].
The registers to maintain records are not available with
Programmatic Issues Amongst Children (6 mo to 9 y) teachers, ASHAs and AWWs in most cases. This pos-
sibly leads to unreliable reporting of data on coverage
i) The strategies developed and advocated under NIPI of IFA amongst children [39].
programme have not been pilot tested in the field v) The procurement, storage, distribution and availability
before they were implemented in the country. The of IFA syrup/tablets to the beneficiaries continues to be
operational feasibility, roles and responsibilities of a major constraint.
health workers, the difficulties encountered by
them during implementation were not observed in Procurement There is an inadequate calculation of IFA
Breal life^ situation. However, these guidelines requirements at the state level and thereby low alloca-
have been issued to states for implementation, tion of financial budget for procurement of IFA tablets
resulting in difficulties in operationalization of the [38]. Forecasting of future requirements of IFA is usu-
program. ally done using a top-down approach and arbitrary
ii) The ASHA is a voluntary worker. She is being equal distribution to all health centres is done rather
given more and more responsibilities for imple- than based on population and actual needs.
mentation of activities under the different programs
of National Health Mission [36]. She has been Storage District and block level stores have inadequate
asked to participate in all the health and nutrition space for storage of IFA. Although procurement of IFA
related activities that are being implemented at the is similar to other medicines listed on the Essential drug
village level. IFA supplementation is accorded low list but there is low prioritization of IFA tablets for
priority by their supervisors, leading to poor work storage at the district and block level warehouses [38].
performance. The task of supervised administration
of IFA twice a week through homevisits, is not Distribution The mechanism for distribution of IFA
considered feasible by them. This could also lead tablets required at the district, block, PHC, sub centre
to fatigue in the health system and the health level is poor [37, 38]. The process and mechanism of
worker. transport of IFA tablets/ syrups from district warehouse
iii) Inadequate procurement and distribution of IFA sup- to block and further to subcentres/school has not been
plies: There is a lack of policy on procurement and established and is being undertaken on ad hoc basis.
distribution of IFA supplies at state, district, block and The large quantity of IFA syrups for health institutions
sub centre levels [37, 38]. Auxiliary nurse midwives consists of heavy weight, which needs to be carried by
(ANMs) receive IFA from PHC for distribution. At the AWW/ASHA workers from PHC to the sub centre.
the village level, ASHAs receive IFA independently There is a lack of transport facility and budget to carry
in their drug kits. Anganwadi workers (AWWs) do these heavy weight supplies with health functionaries.
not directly receive IFA for distribution of antenatal
mothers. However, all three (ASHA, ANM, AWW) vi) Availability of IFA Stocks: A poor communication ex-
are to coordinate and distribute IFA in the community. ists between sub centre workers, Medical Officer at the
Specific roles and responsibilities amongst them have PHC and District Health Officer on availability of IFA
not been clearly defined. tablets at the different levels.
Indian J Pediatr (June 2019) 86(6):523–531 529
In the year 2017–2018, the coverage of children 6–59 d) Monitoring and supervision of the WIFS program is poor
mo who were provided with IFA syrup, was only 6.6%. at the school level. There is lack of accountability of
The coverage of IFA syrup in different states was in the teachers. No incentive is provided for supervised admin-
range of 0.0 to 49.3%, with majority (22 states) of the states istration of IFA supplementation to them [27].
having a coverage of less than 3% [27]. A major factor for e) Teachers and AWWs have not been trained and have in-
low coverage of IFA was the low procurement and avail- adequate skills for correctly identifying the clinical signs
ability of IFA syrup. Only 5 states namely Daman and Diu, of anemia.
Meghalaya, Sikkim, Puducherry and Maharashtra procured f) Comprehensive counseling of children on the health benefits
about 50% of the required quantity of IFA syrup [27]. of IFA supplementation is not routinely undertaken by the
In the year 2017–2018, only 8% of children in the ASHA, ANM, AWW and teachers. The beneficiaries are not
age group of 6–10 y received complete doses of IFA. educated about the possible side-effects of IFA consumption.
Less than 2% coverage was found in 15 states [27]. There is lack of health care support system for management of
Low coverage was observed possibly due to the low side-effects faced due to IFA supplementation in the schools.
procurement of IFA supplements. Twelve states pro- g) A low coverage of IFA supplementation amongst adoles-
cured less than 1% of their total IFA requirement [27]. cents existed in 2017–18, inspite of a high priority accorded
vii) There is a need for computerization, timely reporting by Government of India. The coverage with complete
from the district, clear documentation of existing inven- doses of IFA tablets was only 21.7% amongst children
tory, stock requests, and expiry dates at different levels. who were attending government or non-government
schools. The coverage was below 10% in 12 states. Only
3 states namely Punjab, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu had
The Issues Faced in the Implementation of WIFS coverage of more than 50% with complete doses of IFA
[27]. During 2017–2018, the overall percentage of procure-
a) Under WIFS program, enteric coated Iron and Folic Acid ment of IFA tablets was 35% in the country. Six states/
(EC IFA) tablets were being given every week to adoles- Union Territories had nil IFA tablets and only 3 states pro-
cents, which may have led to inadequate decline in anemia cured more than 50% of the total IFA requirements [27].
prevalence [26]. The poor clinical response of EC IFA as
compared to the conventional sugar coated IFA has been
widely documented [39, 40]. Evidence suggests that there
is low absorption of iron from the EC IFA tablets as com- Way Forward
pared to sugar coated IFA [41, 42]. A clinical trial, using
state-of-the-art stable isotopic methods conducted in 2018 The total expenditure on health sector in the country has in-
documented that absorption of iron from EC tablets was creased from 0.9% to nearly 2% of the gross domestic product.
substantially lower than that from non-enteric coated tablets However, anemia indicators for children and adolescents have
(4.3% vs. 12.1%) [43] as the EC tablets are ‘gastro-resistant’ not improved correspondingly [46]. Issues with program imple-
[44]. Recently, a policy decision has been taken by MoHFW mentation, poor coverage due to low acceptability of IFA tablets
to replace EC IFA tablets with sugar coated tablets under the and long duration of supplementation may have possibly result-
Anemia Mukt Bharat Strategy. However, these changes are ed in insignificant decline in the burden of anemia in India.
yet to be implemented in the National programme. Recent World Health Organization global guidelines (2016)
b) Fifty two doses of IFA are required to be administered to [45] on prophylaxis doses of IFA recommends daily adminis-
adolescents every year under WIFS. However, only about 28 tration of lower dose of iron of 60 mg amongst adolescents (10–
doses can be distributed due to i) 8 wk of summer holidays, 19 y) [46] instead of weekly doses [28]. These guidelines are
ii) 4 wk of winter vacation, iii) 5 wk of annual examinations, based on the results from systematic review [47, 48] including
iv) 5 wk mid year examination and v) 2 wk of government data from 67 trials conducted in 24 countries. In view of the
holidays. Hence, this WIFS strategy needs to be modified. above, there is a need to urgently adopt daily supplementation of
The recent WHO recommendation for daily iron supplemen- a lower dose of iron of 60 mg recommended in WHO guidelines
tation amongst adolescent girls continuously for 90 d needs (2016) [45] instead of weekly IFA supplementation amongst
to be adopted [45]. Daily supplementation of IFA will im- children and adolescents. These guidelines are based on the
prove the coverage of IFA and reduce system fatigue. results from systematic review [47, 48] including data from 67
c) There is lack of convergence of functioning between the trials conducted in 24 countries.
Department of Education and Health. Iron supplementa- Immediate remedial measures are needed to strengthen the
tion is considered as an additional responsibility by school supply chain mechanism for IFA and achieve effective program
teachers, leading to poor motivation for undertaking IFA implementation through periodic trainings at all levels. Effective
supplementation. convergence of several governmental departments like health,
530 Indian J Pediatr (June 2019) 86(6):523–531
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