Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Anaemia continues to be a global public health burden affecting all age groups, particularly children. Indigenous people, including the Orang Asli (OA) population in Malaysia, are at risk of anaemia due to the vast disparities in social determinants of health in their population compared to the non-indigenous population.Objectives
This review aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors of anaemia among OA children in Malaysia and analyse the knowledge gaps.Methods
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Google Scholar databases. This review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines.Results
This review identified six studies involving the participation of OA children from eight subtribes residing in Peninsular Malaysia. The overall prevalence of anaemia among OA children ranged from 21.6 to 80.0%, with iron deficiency anaemia prevalence at 34.0%. The risk factors of anaemia among OA children reported from one study in this review were being younger than ten years old children (AOR 2.11 (95% CI 1.23, 3.63)) and moderate to heavy Ascaris infections (AOR 2.05 (95% CI 1.12, 3.76)). There was no data from OA children from certain age groups and subtribes. Additionally, there is a paucity of data on risk factors for anaemia among OA children from the currently available evidence.Conclusion
The prevalence of anaemia among OA children poses a moderate to severe public health concern. Therefore, more comprehensive studies in the future are needed to address the gaps identified in this review, primarily regarding anaemia risk factors. This data would encourage policymakers in devising effective national prevention strategies to improve morbidity and mortality among OA children in the future.
SUBMITTER: Khalil MKN
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10053598 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Khalil Muhamad Khairul Nazrin MKN Abd Razak Mohamad Aznuddin MA Tahir Fatin Athirah FA Sahril Norhafizah N Shahein Nik Adilah NA Rezali Muhammad Solihin MS Adnan Muhammad Azri Adam MAA Liew Siaw Hun SH Ab Wahab Nor'ain N Shamsuddin Norliza N Kassim Mohd Shaiful Azlan MSA
Nutrients 20230320 6
<h4>Background</h4>Anaemia continues to be a global public health burden affecting all age groups, particularly children. Indigenous people, including the Orang Asli (OA) population in Malaysia, are at risk of anaemia due to the vast disparities in social determinants of health in their population compared to the non-indigenous population.<h4>Objectives</h4>This review aimed to identify the prevalence and risk factors of anaemia among OA children in Malaysia and analyse the knowledge gaps.<h4>Me ...[more]