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Interventions for anemia prevention and control should incorporate an understanding of the biology as well as the assessment of the severity, magnitude, and prevalence of anemia in public health practice. The causes of anemia are multifactorial. Practitioners can address anemia using three main categories of interventions: 1) those that address non-nutritional causes of anemia (e.g., delayed cord clamping, malaria control, deworming); 2) those that address nutrients alone (e.g., dietary diversification, biofortification, food fortification, supplementation with iron and/or other micronutrients); and 3) those that address both. The emphasis of this anemia toolkit will be on interventions of public health relevance, but we also consider the clinical context. In addition to these broad categories, the toolkit will focus on—

  • evidence of the impact of inflammation and genetic mutations on the applicability and utility of the interventions, as well as issues related to the bioavailability of nutrients, and considerations of safety when selecting an intervention
  • iron and other nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin B12, folate, riboflavin, and zinc that play a role in hemoglobin synthesis and are important for the prevention of anemia such as:
    • interventions at different stages of the life course—with a particular focus on women of reproductive age and preschool-age children
    • consideration of the interventions within the broader context of the external environments including sustainability, social and cultural factors, and climate change. 

In a resource-constrained environment, many health and nutrition issues compete for the attention of public health practitioners and funders. An effective, efficient, and sustainable approach to reducing anemia requires multi-sectoral collaborative efforts where the disparate motivations and mandates of different stakeholders must be addressed. Tools are available to help public health practitioners select one or more interventions to address the multifactorial nature of anemia.

The USAID Advancing Nutrition Anemia Task force has developed five Anemia Briefs that explore current evidence and practice to understand and address the causes and consequences of anemia, and interventions to reduce the burden of disease. One of those briefs—"Food-Based Approaches to Address Anemia”—explore issues related to food-based interventions for reducing anemia.

We found 113 resource(s)

Barriers to and Facilitators of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Within a School-Based Integrated Nutrition and Health Promotion Program Among Ghanaian Adolescent Girls
Journal Article published by Curr Dev Nutr in
This study describes the barriers to and facilitators of program fidelity to a school-based anemia reduction program with weekly iron and folic acid supplementation among adolescent girls in Ghana.
An Integrated Infant and Young Child Feeding and Micronutrient Powder Intervention Does Not Affect Anemia, Iron Status, or Vitamin A Status among Children Aged 12–23 Months in Eastern Uganda
Journal Article published by Journal of Nutrition in
This study evaluated the impact of an integrated infant and young child feeding and micronutrient powder intervention on anemia and micronutrient status among children aged 12–23 months in Eastern Uganda.
Oral Iron Supplementation in Iron-Deficient Women: How Much and How Often?
Literature Review published by Molecular Aspects of Medicine in
This review on oral iron supplementation provides an overview of recently conducted stable iron isotope studies conducted in young women to quantify iron absorption.
Iron Supplementation in Infants: A Reflection on Hepcidin and Fractional Iron Absorption
Journal Article published by Am J Clin Nutr in
This editorial discusses the implications of a study that assesses the effect of iron dosing schedules on plasma hepcidin and iron absorption in high-risk infants in Kenya and found that iron absorption administered in a variety of methods in a pediatric population and found that less frequent dosing results in increased fractional absorption of…
The Effect of Iron Dosing Schedules on Plasma Hepcidin and Iron Absorption in Kenyan Infants
Journal Article published by Am J Clin Nutr in
This study assessed iron uptake in infants in Kenya who received three different regimens of iron supplementations via stable iron isotopes. The authors report that 12 mg doses of ferrous sulfate given in fortified meals as either morning or afternoon doses resulted in comparable absorption, while dosing of the same form of iron on consecutive…
Combined IYCF with Small-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplementation is Associated with a Reduction in Anemia but No Changes in Anthropometric Status of Young Children from Katanga Province of the DRC: A Quasi-Experimental Effectiveness Study
Journal Article published by Am J Clin Nutr in
This study evaluates the impact of an infant and young child feeding intervention (with small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements) on anemia and growth in children aged 6–18 months in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Review of the Evidence Regarding the Use of Antenatal Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Literature Review published by Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences in
This review presents the conclusions of a task force that set out to assess the prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes and adverse birth outcomes in low- and middle-income countries; the data from trials comparing multiple-micronutrient supplements that contain iron–folic acid with iron–folic acid supplements alone; the risks of reaching…
Fortification of Wheat and Maize Flour with Folic Acid for Population Health Outcomes
Systematic Review published by Cochrane Library in
This Cochrane Systematic Review synthesizes the evidence pertaining to the safety and health benefits of folic acid fortification of wheat and maize flour for folate status and health outcomes in the overall population, compared to wheat or maize flour without folic acid. Evidence from 10 studies suggests that the fortification of wheat flour with…