Anaemia Outcomes Among Children Under Five Years of Age in India

A study, titled ‘The Association Between Ambient PM 2.5 Exposure and Anaemia Outcomes Among Children Under Five Years of Age in India’, published in the journal Environmental Epidemiology, conducted by IIT-Delhi has found that extended periods of exposure to PM 2.5 can lead to anaemia among children under the age of 5 years.

ABOUT:

1. The study has found that for every 10 micrograms per meter cube increase in PM2.5 levels exposure, there is a decrease of 0.07 grams per dL in average haemoglobin levels.
2. This is the first study to have been carried out in India, where an association between exposure to PM 2.5 and anaemia in children under the age of 5 years has been examined and established, even as numerous other studies have looked at other detrimental health impacts of particulate matter.
3. The study is important because so far anaemia has been looked at through the prism of nutrition deficiency, specifically that of iron.
4. If government programmes like Poshan Abhiyan were strengthened, till air pollution is curtailed or exposure of children to PM 2.5 is brought down, anaemia is likely to continue to persist.