A nutrition expert at the Department of Food Science, University of Ghana, Prof. Matilda Steiner-Asiedu has expressed concern over the continued high prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia among children under five in Ghana.
According to Prof. Steiner-Asiedu, anaemia prevalence among children under five remains between 50 and 78 percent, while iron deficiency prevalence was estimated at 21.5 percent in recent national assessments, indicating that Ghana is yet to meet its target of reducing the condition to 15 percent.
"Mostly the children under five years are affected when we talk about anemia prevalence., We have anemia to be between 50 to 78 per cent of ion deficiency in Ghana and ion deficiency prevalence, however, is estimated to be around 21.5 as of 2017, there isn't any and we are looking at the targets, we are supposed to reduce it to 15 percent, but we haven't reached there yet," she said.
The nutrition expert identified poor maternal nutrition, inadequate complementary feeding, malaria, intestinal worms, infections, and poor hygiene practices as major causes of the condition among children.
Prof. Steiner-Asiedu stressed that children need balanced diets rich in iron, protein, vitamins, and other nutrients to support healthy growth and blood formation.
She encouraged parents to feed children green leafy vegetables, beans, fish, meat, eggs, fruits, and other nutrient-rich foods after six months of breastfeeding.
"So if the child is malnourished, it is always going to, so feeding the baby well is so important to be able to have enough ion. So mother should watch out to see the child becoming pale, especially under the eye, and then also if the child is always tired, that should give you a clue."
She also advised mothers to maintain proper nutrition before and during pregnancy, noting that iron-deficient mothers are more likely to give birth to children with iron deficiency.
The expert further called for stronger public health education on nutrition, sanitation, malaria prevention, and regular child health screening to help reduce iron deficiency and anaemia among Ghanaian children.
