Association of Iron Supplementation Programs with Iron-Deficiency Anemia Outcomes among Children in Brazil

Anemia remains a condition with high prevalence in populations worldwide, and the prevalence of anemia among children under five years old in Brazil is approximately 40%, being higher in communities marked by social inequities. Diverse government programs during recent decades targeted iron-deficiency anemia, considering its impacts throughout the lifetime. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of two government iron supplementation programs on health outcomes related to iron-deficiency anemia among children up to 4 years old in Brazilian municipalities. A longitudinal panel encompassing data from 5570 municipalities from 1998 to 2019 was investigated using a difference-in-differences framework with multiple interventions and distinct times of adhesion, and fixed-effects models were estimated to control for invariant municipal characteristics throughout the period in order to ensure comparability. The results indicate significant effects of the federal programs in reducing hospitalizations and lengths of stay due to iron-deficiency anemia, especially in non-poor municipalities. There was complementarity in the effects of the programs; however, neither of the programs influenced mortality rates. Thus, it is important to consider possible improvements in the operationalization of the programs, in order to achieve better results in the reduction of severe iron-deficiency anemia among children up to 4 years old.

Automated summary

Anemia prevalence among children under five in Brazil is high, with government iron supplementation programs showing significant effects on reducing hospitalizations and lengths of stay due to iron-deficiency anemia, especially in non-poor areas. The programs complement each other but do not influence mortality rates, indicating a need for operational improvements to achieve better outcomes in reducing severe iron-deficiency anemia among children under four.