About this Research Topic
Globally, anemia is one of the most common nutritional disorders and a major public health problem. Anemia results from low hemoglobin (Hb) levels and/or low red blood cell (RBC) counts, which are insufficient to meet physiological demands. Although it is most common in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), it also affects certain groups in high-income countries. In LMICs, it continues to be a complex and intractable problem of ‘hidden hunger’, exemplifying health inequities and preventable loss of human capital. Anemia is known for its severe consequences on human health, causing serious medical problems and affecting overall health and well-being, and it is associated with a higher mortality rate, lower work productivity, impaired neurological development, and an increased risk of death and morbidity. A variety of factors contribute to the development of anemia, including nutritional deficiencies, infectious diseases, genetics, and heavy menstrual bleeding. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency contributing to anemia, but deficiencies of folate, vitamin B12, vitamin A, vitamin B6, C, D, and E, riboflavin, copper, and zinc can also play a role.
The World Health Organization recommends a tiered and life-course approach to preventing and controlling anemia. Supplementation with iron and folic acid, or better yet, with multiple micronutrients, alongside deworming and intermittent malaria prevention is recommended for women of reproductive age. Other interventions including fortifying staple foods and household condiments with micronutrients, adding micronutrient powders to complementary foods, delaying umbilical cord clamping by three minutes, breastfeeding exclusively, and appropriate complementary feeding, are also recommended for prevention. Nevertheless, tackling anemia has been challenging because of issues such as gender inequality, patchy implementation of programs, reliance on economic development and dietary change, and a general lack of political will.
The field of public health prevention and control is moving towards developing more precise and robust public-health strategies, which necessitate identifying underlying causes of anemia across the lifespan. In LMICs, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food and nutrition insecurity, with children, adolescents, and women being disproportionately affected. In order to target different demographic groups and allocate resources, deploy interventions, and monitor progress, it is necessary to have more context-specific and robust tools. It is also necessary to re-examine hemoglobin cut-offs for anemia according to the context of various population groups.
Research articles to be published in this Research Topic should contribute to understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms through which anemia develops; examine the variety of factors and conditions that contribute to anemia development among children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age in LMICs; build evidence on more-accurate field-based screening and point-of-care systems for prevention and management strategies; assess when and how other supplements such as riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin A should be used along with iron; investigate other strategies such as dietary modification and food support for the prevention and control of anemia; and, examine the cost-effectiveness of different approaches for preventing and managing anemia among diverse population groups.
We welcome original research and review articles for this Research Topic covering themes in LMICs including but not limited to:
• Prevalence and burden of anemia and its implications
• Methods for measurement of anemia and key causes
• Anemia in specific populations
• Etiology and pathophysiology of anemia
• Innovative, effective, and cost-effective approaches to the prevention and control of anemia in LMICs
• Evaluations of national programs and policies aimed at prevention and control of anemia
• Reflections on sustaining and scaling up effective anemia prevention and control approaches in LMICs
The World Health Organization recommends a tiered and life-course approach to preventing and controlling anemia. Supplementation with iron and folic acid, or better yet, with multiple micronutrients, alongside deworming and intermittent malaria prevention is recommended for women of reproductive age. Other interventions including fortifying staple foods and household condiments with micronutrients, adding micronutrient powders to complementary foods, delaying umbilical cord clamping by three minutes, breastfeeding exclusively, and appropriate complementary feeding, are also recommended for prevention. Nevertheless, tackling anemia has been challenging because of issues such as gender inequality, patchy implementation of programs, reliance on economic development and dietary change, and a general lack of political will.
The field of public health prevention and control is moving towards developing more precise and robust public-health strategies, which necessitate identifying underlying causes of anemia across the lifespan. In LMICs, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated food and nutrition insecurity, with children, adolescents, and women being disproportionately affected. In order to target different demographic groups and allocate resources, deploy interventions, and monitor progress, it is necessary to have more context-specific and robust tools. It is also necessary to re-examine hemoglobin cut-offs for anemia according to the context of various population groups.
Research articles to be published in this Research Topic should contribute to understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms through which anemia develops; examine the variety of factors and conditions that contribute to anemia development among children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age in LMICs; build evidence on more-accurate field-based screening and point-of-care systems for prevention and management strategies; assess when and how other supplements such as riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin A should be used along with iron; investigate other strategies such as dietary modification and food support for the prevention and control of anemia; and, examine the cost-effectiveness of different approaches for preventing and managing anemia among diverse population groups.
We welcome original research and review articles for this Research Topic covering themes in LMICs including but not limited to:
• Prevalence and burden of anemia and its implications
• Methods for measurement of anemia and key causes
• Anemia in specific populations
• Etiology and pathophysiology of anemia
• Innovative, effective, and cost-effective approaches to the prevention and control of anemia in LMICs
• Evaluations of national programs and policies aimed at prevention and control of anemia
• Reflections on sustaining and scaling up effective anemia prevention and control approaches in LMICs
Keywords: anemia, low hemoglobin, nutritional deficiencies, infectious diseases, genetics, iron deficiency, supplementation, fortification
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
