SynthesisBMC public health2025
Pooled prevalence of anaemia and its associated factors among adolescent girls in East and West Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Trends, regional disparities, and projected burden of anemia among women of reproductive age in Ghana, 2000-2030.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- Article
- School-based assessment of menstrual irregularities and their predictors among adolescent girls in rural Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2026Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with anaemia among adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa and India.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAnemia is a major public health issue that significantly affects health, as well as social and economic development worldwide. Among adolescent girls, the prevalence of anemia is higher due to increased demands for blood volume expansion associated with the onset of menstruation and the rapid growth during adolescence. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among adolescent girls in East and West African countries.
methodsAll published and unpublished studies from East and West Africa available in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Hinari, and Google Scholar were screened based on their titles, abstracts, study design, and full-text review before inclusion in the meta-analysis. Data were extracted after assessing the quality of evidence using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies. Microsoft Excel was used for data extraction, and STATA version 14 was employed for statistical analysis. A forest plot was used to display the pooled prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls in East and West Africa. Heterogeneity was assessed using random-effects models, subgroup analysis, meta-regression, and sensitivity analysis. Publication bias was evaluated using Egger's regression test and funnel plot analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to present the factors associated with anemia among adolescent girls.
resultsA total of twenty-nine studies involving 12,905 participants were included in the analysis. The pooled prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls was 32.88% [95% CI: 24.62%, 41.14%], based on a random-effects model. The meta-analysis also identified significant associations between anemia and certain factors. Adolescent girls living in rural areas were more likely to have anemia compared to those in urban areas (OR = 4.19; 95% CI: 1.42, 12.41; I² = 76.2%, p = 0.006). Additionally, girls who had not heard about anemia had significantly higher odds of being anemic (OR = 12.25; 95% CI: 4.59, 32.64; I² = 81.1%, p < 0.01).
conclusionThe pooled prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls in East and West African countries represents a moderate public health concern. Adolescent girls living in rural areas and those who had not heard about anemia were significantly more likely to develop the condition. Addressing this nutritional challenge requires strong intersectoral collaboration between the health and education sectors to promote awareness, prevention, and effective interventions targeting adolescent girls.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.