[Influencing factors of nutritional anemia in children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in China].

Objective: This study employed a Meta analysis to evaluate the factors influencing nutritional anemia among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in China, in order to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of anemia. Methods: This study utilized databases including CNKI, Wanfang database, VIP, PubMed, and Web of Science to retrieve literature reporting on the influencing factors of nutritional anemia among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years in China. Meta analysis was conducted using Stata 16.0 software. Results: A total of 30 articles were ultimately included, including 105 018 children with anemia and 849 069 normal children. The results of Meta analysis showed that the risk of anemia was significantly higher in children with the following characteristics compared to their respective control groups: wasting (OR=1.67, 95%CI: 1.24-2.24), stunted growth (OR=1.30, 95%CI: 1.05-1.59), ethnic minority (OR=1.17, 95%CI: 1.09-1.25), fewer than two physical examinations per year (OR=2.14, 95%CI: 1.54-2.98), rural residence (OR=1.42, 95%CI: 1.16-1.74), being raised by someone other than parents (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.12-1.33), female (OR=1.42, 95%CI: 1.28-1.57), poor appetite (OR=2.18, 95%CI: 1.52-3.13), and consuming eggs fewer than four times per week (OR=2.30, 95%CI: 1.90-2.77). Conversely, the risk of anemia was lower in children with obesity (OR=0.73, 95%CI: 0.57-0.93), and 8-14 years old (OR=0.59, 95%CI:0.49-0.72). Sensitivity analysis indicated that the Meta analysis results for the most influential factors in this study were relatively stable, and publication bias assessment suggested that there might be publication bias for the gender factors. Conclusions: The main influencing factors of anemia among children and adolescents (6-17 years old) in China include nutritional status, age, ethnicity, frequency of annual health check-ups, residence, caregiver, gender, appetite, and frequency of egg consumption per week.