Prevalence of Anemia and Its Associated Factors Among Public Primary School Children in the Plateau Central Region of Burkina Faso

Anemia is a public health problem affecting mainly children under 5 years and pregnant women. However, school‐age children are also affected but are often neglected in research. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with anemia among primary school children in public schools in the Plateau Central Region of Burkina Faso. Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was determined using a HemoCue HB201 + analyzer. Data were collected from 551 schoolchildren aged 5–14 years. Anemia was established if the Hb level was lower than 11.5 g/dL in children aged 5–11 years and less than 12 g/dL in children aged 12–14 years. Binary logistic regression was adjusted to identify factors associated with anemia at a p value < 0.05. The prevalence of anemia was 59.2%, including 52.6% of the girls. Schoolchildren aged 5–11 years were the most affected, with a rate of 58.5%, versus 60.2% for schoolchildren aged 12–14 years. The fact of dwelling in the provinces of Ganzourgou (OR = 2.12; 95% CI: 1.35–3.31) and Oubritenga (OR = 1.71; 95% CI: 1.09–2.69), working as a dressmaker (OR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.08–0.95), and having mothers who are civil servants (OR = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.16–1.12) are associated with anemia. Improving women’s income levels and province‐specific actions could help to reduce the prevalence of anemia in this region.