ArticlePloS one2017
Iron status and anaemia in Sri Lankan secondary school children: A cross-sectional survey.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Beyond iron deficiency: A comprehensive national survey of anaemia etiology in Sri Lankan young adults.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Assessing the water quality hazard and challenges to achieving the freshwater goal in Sri Lanka.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Dietary quality, anaemia prevalence and their associated factors among rural school- going adolescents in Acholi sub -region of Uganda.BMC nutrition · 2024Article
- Socio-economic inequality in anaemia among men in India: a study based on cross-sectional data.BMC public health · 2021Article
- Prevalence, knowledge and selected associated factors of anaemia among non-pregnant females of reproductive age in a tea estate community in Hantana, Kandy district, Sri Lanka.American journal of blood research · 2021Article
- Sickle cell disease in Sri Lanka: clinical and molecular basis and the unanswered questions about disease severity.Orphanet journal of rare diseases · 2020Article
- A "One-Stop" Screening Protocol for Haemoglobinopathy Traits and Iron Deficiency in Sri Lanka.Frontiers in molecular biosciences · 2019Article
- Micronutrient Status in Sri Lanka: A Review.Nutrients · 2018Review
- Anaemia among females in child-bearing age: Relative contributions, effects and interactions of α- and β-thalassaemia.PloS one · 2018Article
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIron deficiency, the most common micronutrient disorder and cause of anaemia globally, impairs growth, cognition, behaviour and resistance to infection. METHODS/
resultsAs part of a national survey of inherited haemoglobin variants in 7526 students from 72 secondary schools purposefully selected from the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, we studied 5912 students with a normal haemoglobin genotype. Median age was 16.0 (IQR 15.0-17.0) years and 3189 (53.9%) students were males. Most students were Sinhalese (65.7%), with fewer Tamils (23.1%) and Muslims (11.2%). Anaemia occurred in 470 students and was more common in females (11.1%) than males (5.6%). Haemoglobin, serum ferritin, transferrin receptor and iron were determined in 1196 students with low red cell indices and a structured sample of those with normal red cell indices (n = 513). The findings were weighted to estimate the frequencies of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia classified according to WHO criteria. Iron depletion (serum ferritin <15ug/ml) occurred in 19.2% and cellular iron deficiency (low serum ferritin and transferrin receptor >28.1 nmol/l) in 11.6% students. Iron deficiency anaemia (cellular iron deficiency with low haemoglobin) occurred in only 130/2794 (4.6%) females and 28/2789 (1.0%) males. Iron biomarkers were normal in 83/470 (14.6%) students with anaemia. In multiple regression analysis, the odds for iron depletion and cellular iron deficiency were about one-third in males compared with females, and the odds for iron deficiency anaemia were about one fifth in males compared to females. Tamil ethnicity and age <16 years increased the risk of all three stages of iron deficiency and living at high altitude significantly reduced the risk of iron depletion.
conclusionsLow iron status and anaemia remain common problems in Sri Lankan secondary school students especially females, younger students and the socioeconomically disadvantaged Tamil population. More research is needed to identify factors other than low iron status that contribute to anaemia in adolescents.
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