Presenter: Georgia Greenblum − Anthropology
Faculty Mentor(s): Josh Snodgrass, Alicia DeLouize
Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Healthy Considerations
Research on anemia has primarily focused on young children and pregnant women, yet anemia also raises considerable health concerns for older adults. Anemia can often be easily identified and treated, yet it affects large populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The older adult population is rapidly growing in LMICs; therefore, not only is this population understudied but the impact of anemia within this population will become a larger global issue. Documenting anemia rates and identifying associated factors in different countries will help public health officials more effectively target this disorder.
Hemoglobin levels and survey data from 14,659 adults 50 years and older in South Africa, China, and Mexico were obtained from Wave 1 of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE). Data were analyzed to describe anemia rates and to test relationships between anemia, age, and socioeconomic status (SES).
For Mexico, China, and South Africa the rates of anemia in older adults were found to be 24%, 28%, and 91%, respectively. An association between lower wealth and higher prevalence of anemia was present only for two groups: men in Mexico and women in China. Each year of age after 50 was associated with a 2% higher prevalence of anemia among women in Mexico and China, a 3% higher prevalence for men in China, and a 6% higher prevalence for men in Mexico.
These results highlight the global burden of anemia in older adults.