The prevalence of anemia among under five children at a public hospital in the Kingdom of Eswatini

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the prevalence of anemia among children under the age of five at a public hospital at Mbabane in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The study used a cross-sectional design. The target population of the study were full blood count (FBC) results of blood samples taken from children under the age of five at the public hospital laboratory in Mbabane. A stratified random sampling method was used to sample 400 full blood count results of blood samples. All authorised full blood count results were extracted from the laboratory information system (LIS). Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the generated data and the results were presented in tables and bar graphs. Data coding was used to ensure confidentiality and traceability. This study accounts for 45.75% (CI; 40.87% - 50.63%, p<0.482) prevalence of anemia among children under the age of five at a public hospital in Mbabane in the Kingdom of Eswatini. From the findings of the study, it is recommended that the control of anemia should be considered as an urgent national concern.