JMIR Publications

Anemia is one of the global public health problems that affect more than one third of the world population. It has been strongly associated with poor growth and development, limited psychomotor development, and poorer long-term performance in cognitive, social, and emotional functioning in children. Despite published data revealed that anemia is a public health problem among children in Ethiopia, there is a lack of national pooled estimate. Thus, the aim of this review is to estimate the pooled prevalence and to identify associated factors of anemia among children in Ethiopia. All studies published until December 31, 2017 will be searched using comprehensive search strings through PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, HINARI, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Google databases. Reference lists and communication with content experts will be used to get additional relevant studies. Two groups of review authors will independently appraise the studies for scientific quality and extract the data using standardized guideline. Pooled estimate will be determined using random effect model. Heterogeneity between the studies will be assessed using the I2 statistics. Sensitivity, and subgroup analysis will be employed in the evident of heterogeneity. Publication bias will be assessed by visual inspection of the funnel plot and Egger's/Begger’s statistics. Childhood anemia has known to have negative consequences on the mental, physical and social development of children. The burden and its associated factors are greatly varied as to the social, economic, and geographical differences of the target population. Therefore, the proposed systematic review will generate evidence about the pooled prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among children in Ethiopia. The protocol was registered to PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (Registration number: CRD42018088223).