Abstract
Iron deficiency is a major public health problem worldwide. It affects a significant proportion of the population, and is responsible for around 50% of anemia cases worldwide. Cameroon in general and Lekie Division in particular, is very highlyaffected by this problem. However, early detection of the problem can prevent the fatalities associated to it. The objective of this study was to provide up-to-date, detailed data on the markers of iron status in these populations, so that treatment can be better targeted. A two-month cross-sectional study was conducted in the Lekie Division in collaboration with local health centres in both urban and rural areas. The study sample consisted of 361 participants of all age groups and sexes. A questionnaire was issued to obtain information of the participants socio-demographic status, then 3 to 5ml of blood were collected and a number of markers of the participants iron status were studied. Of all the hematological markers studied, hemoglobin concentration in the study population was below normal in both men and women. Biochemical markers were good for all socio-demographic parameters. The mean values of biochemical and hematological markers in the population of the Lekie Division were good for all socio-demographic parameters, with the exception of hemoglobin concentration, which remains critical, requiring particular attention in this locality, but above all urgent intervention lest the situation aggravates further.
Author Contributions
Copyright© 2025
Noah Guy, et al.
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Introduction
According to the WHO, iron deficiency is the most widespread micronutrient deficiency in the world
Results
The study population was made up of 37% male participants and 63% female participants, as shown in the The figure below shows that the overall enrolment rate for the study population was 87.8%, with 47.1% at primary level, 38.2% at secondary level and 2.5% at university level The figure below shows that the main activity carried out by the study population is agriculture, followed by small-scale jobs in the informal sector. Wage earners represent only 7.8% of the population, while 10.2% of the population is not employed AGV : Average globular volume; ACCoH : Average corpuscular content of hemoglobine; ACCH : Average corpuscular concentration of hemoglobine VN : normal values; results are presented as mean ± standard deviation; NS = not significant (p > 0.05), Sig= significant (p < 0.05). CFT : Total capacity for iron binding by transferrin; CST: Coefficient of iron saturation by transferrin; VN: normal values; results are presented as mean ± standard deviation; NS = not significant (p > 0.05), Sig= significant (p < 0.05).
Ethnic group
NS
-Eton
12.10±1.77
40.25±6.20
85.38±9.95
30.90±2.62
26.31±2.87
-Manguissa
12.28±1.73
40.60±6.51
84.36±8.53
30.96±2.04
26.15±2.72
Gender
*
-Male
12.54±2.07
42.40±6.99
86.40±11.8
30.59±2.25
30.59±2.25
-Female
11.91±1.51
39.13±5.48
84.40±8.00
31.11±2.60
31.11±2.60
Age
*
- < 5 years
10.46±1.71
33.55±4.79
76.02±8.38
31.98±2.43
24.33±3.03
- 5-14 years]
11.02±1.27
37.72±3.70
82.22±7.58
31.01±2.44
25.42±2.37
- 15-49 years]
12.47±1.70
41.09±6.35
85.47±9.04
31.02±2.41
26.48±2.67
- ≥50 years]
12.74±1.52
42.44±5.86
88.28±9.42
30.53±2.53
26.92±2.81
Place of residence
NS
-Urban
11.68±1.67
36.90±5.25
79.88±8.47
33.81±1.46
27.00±2.93
-Rural
12.35±1.76
41.90±6.08
87.53±9.17
29.60±1.59
25.94±2.73
Profession
*
-Unemployed
12.18±1.73
39.28±5.41
85.36±7.22
31.63±3.02
27.17±2.28
-Minor
10.88±1.53
36.48±4.87
79.62±9.10
31.41±2.53
24.93±2.73
-High school student
12.07±1.54
38.44±5.11
83.60±5.70
31.70±2.29
26.79±2.33
-University student
12.30±0.84
39.76±0.03
80.85±9.10
32.95±1.06
26.60±2.12
-Informal sector
12.87±1.58
43.09±5.86
88.57±8.45
30.23±2.13
26.70±2.80
-Farming
12.63±1.63
42.43±6.86
88.25±10.5
30.40±2.53
26.74±2.84
-Employee
12.89±1.42
42.01±4.94
85.81±8.96
31.22±2.05
26.79±2.89
Level of education
*
-Unlearened
12.10±2.18
40.95±5.74
87.16±7.43
30.70±2.88
26.61±2.63
-Preschool
10.28±1.76
32.82±4.64
74.60±7.61
31.98±2.47
23.91±2.93
-Primary
12.09±1.66
40.90±5.93
86.61±9.44
30.42±2.56
26.30±2.84
-Secondary
12.55±1.59
41.11±5.96
85.55±9.17
31.30±2.29
26.74±2.62
-University
12.94±1.58
42.79±6.79
84.21±7.44
31.03±1.77
26.08±2.29
Marital status
*
-Child
10.86±1.50
36.43±4.87
79.60±9.15
31.42±2.54
24.93±2.74
-Single
12.45±1.62
40.58±6.29
86.02±8.79
31.26±2.51
26.87±2.68
-Married
12.75±1.65
42.83±6.44
88.64±9.52
30.29±2.17
26.77±2.79
-Divorced
12.74±1.03
40.68±5.53
84.28±6.34
31.37±1.96
26.45±1.97
-Widow(er)
12.61±1.55
41.82±4.64
86.69±7.79
30.74±2.88
26.78±2.67
NS
-Eton
76.08±2.95
61.58±3.63
360.13±78.9
22.54±0.92
78.23±19.0
-Manguissa
82.55±4.97
59.15±4.70
338.56±69.8
25.32±1.86
73.89±15.9
NS
-Male
87.63±4.09
65.39±5.08
349.34±81.6
27.12±1.59
75.28±19.7
-Female
71.84±3.19
58.42±3.65
358.10±74.6
20.94±0.90
78.27±17.5
*
< 5 years
81.56±7.57
68.97±8.98
338.21±87.2
22.89±3.36
76.94±19.8
5-14 years]
73.89±4.29
68.71±8.88
347.32±79.7
18.85±1.50
79.01±18.1
15-49 years]
84.19±4.71
58.93±5.06
357.01±84.4
21.23±1.37
81.22±19.2
≥50 years]
98.32±3.91
93.42±5.62
321.58±73.8
26.70±1.33
73.16±16.8
*
-Urban
57.58±2.88
45.27±4.41
368.85±70.7
18.79±1.00
77.77±17.4
-Rural
86.81±3.30
68.15±3.75
348.51±79.4
25.23±1.10
76.90±18.8
*
-Unemployed
73.33±8.69
68.81±9.95
348.55±75.4
22.09±2.35
75.30±17.6
-Minor
66.38±3.70
53.68±5.86
364.81±77.0
20.13±1.50
78.69±19.1
-High school student
37.11±2.64
17.80±1.82
416.63±59.3
14.06±2.93
89.78±18.3
-University student
52.47±1.30
19.00±1.00
347.35±11.8
13.69±7.46
79.02±19.0
-Informal sector
92.64±5.01
75.65±5.31
332.00±69.0
28.14±1.67
72.13±15.8
-Farmer
79.46±6.13
59.37±6.78
360.83±82.7
23.21±1.81
79.42±19.6
-Employee
98.50± 9.73
64.64±9.94
346.74±76.0
26.12±2.79
76.44±17.1
NS
-Unlearned
77.28±4.50
87.31±20.5
340.54±63.3
26.84±12.8
72.22±19.8
-Preschool
66.62±7.99
48.13±8.03
374.22±1.70
23.11±13.1
78.01±20.8
-Primary
78.99±3.58
67.08±4.86
349.73±79.1
23.02±13.0
76.87±18.4
-Secondary
77.29±4.17
52.87±3.81
358.52±77.0
22.91±12.9
77.98±17.9
-University
96.77±4.80
76.67±2.40
350.31±82.9
26.84±12.9
74.64±17.8
*
-Child
65.96±3.72
53.83±5.92
366.01±76.4
19.99±1.51
78.92±19.0
-Single
74.84±5.93
48.47±5.27
372.59±82.3
21.76±1.80
81.56±19.6
-Married
81.84±4.45
65.94±5.34
347.17±75.5
24.48±1.31
75.71±17.4
-Divorced
78.45±1.30
64.70±1.80
334.95±55.4
24.38±3.17
71.42±12.3
-Widow(er)
95.75±7.66
83.18±7.89
326.00±68.7
28.85±2.70
71.16±16.4
Discussion
When it comes to health-related activities, women and their children are very often susceptible, and therefore more participative, because of their health vulnerability, unlike men. This could therefore justify the high representation of women in this study. The Eton ethnic group is majority in the Lekie Division, accounting for about 80% of the population, compared with 25% for the Manguissa ethnic group. The population is more concentrated in the rural than in urban areas, due to the high level of agricultural activities. The high school enrolment rate can be explained by the presence of school infrastructures in almost every locality in the Lekie Division. However, the primary level was the most represented in this study, because the population were more concentrated in rural areas, which mostly have primary education facilities, therefore only have access to basic education, except for those who have more resources and are therefore able to continue their studies in urban areas, at higher levels. With regards to the marital status of the participants in the study, it is the high level of education which characterises this study population, and their strong adherence to the Catholic religion, which would be the two major assets in these populations' knowledge could be advantages associated with marital stability, which would therefore justify the observed predominance of married people. The Lekie Division is a major agricultural production area, due to its proximity to River Sanaga and the fertility of its soil. Its proximity to the capital city provides a great opportunity for actors in the field, and therefore justifies the fact that agriculture appears to be the main activity pursued by the people of this Division. These results were similar to that obtained in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mean values of hematological parameters in Table 1 showed no significant difference for ethnicity, unlike for gender. The hemoglobin concentration specifically was higher in men (12.54±2.07) than in women (11.91±1.51). This result could be justified by the fact that women are physiologically more prone to blood loss, and therefore to iron loss, than men. The mean values of the biochemical parameters in Table 2 showed no significant differences by ethnic group or gender. Concentrations of serum iron and ferritin specifically were higher in men than in women. As mentioned above, this result could be justified by the fact that, from a physiological point of view, women are more prone to blood loss, and therefore to iron loss, than men, as iron is a major mineral making up hemoglobin in the blood. In terms of age group, the lowest serum iron concentration was observed in adolescents aged 5 to 14 (73.89±4.29), while subjects aged 50 and over had the best biochemical profile. This result was different from that of
Conclusion
At the end of this study, it is important to note that the mean values of biochemical and haematological markers in the population of the Lekie Division were good for all socio-demographic parameters, with the exception of hemoglobin concentration, which remains critical, requiring particular attention in this locality, but above all urgent intervention is needed to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, especially as the consequences are fatal and sometimes irreversible.