Associations between livestock ownership and lower odds of anaemia among children 6-59 months old are not mediated by animal-source food consumption in Ghana.

ABSTRACT: Livestock ownership may mitigate anaemia among young children by providing access to animal-source foods (ASFs) yet exacerbate anaemia by exposing children to animal-source pathogens. This study aimed to assess the association between household livestock ownership and child anaemia and examine whether this relationship is mediated by child ASF consumption or by child morbidity and inflammation. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 470 children aged 6-59 months in Greater Accra, Ghana. Child blood samples were analysed for haemoglobin concentration, iron status biomarkers and inflammatory biomarkers. Caregivers were asked about the child's frequency of ASF consumption in the past 3 months. Livestock ownership was categorized into five typologies to distinguish households by the number an

SUBMITTER: Lambrecht NJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8189243 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature