Abstract

Background: The anemic condition is commonly experienced by children and women globally. Lack of essential iron in the body contributes to anemia that has been recognized to impose great challenges in African and Asian countries. Thereby, this research was done to impart parents, the adequate knowledge about the iron-deficiency anemia experienced by children, and to determine the intimate relationship between socio-demographic data and awareness level among the parents in different countries.
Methodology: It was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study carried out in the Western zone of Saudi Arabia from July 2019 to September 2019. The qualitative method of data collection was embraced during the field study. In this regard, approximately 321 parents aged 18 years and above were involved in the study.
Results: The study results asserted that approximately 27% of the participated parents were reported to be unaware, whereas 73% of them were aware of the iron-deficiency anemia in children. Based on the socio-demographic risk factors, only four of the total seven factors were identified to contribute to a certain level of awareness associated with iron deficiency anemia experienced by children, including marital status, occupation, education, and income level.
Conclusion: The increased level of awareness amongst the married, employed, bachelor's degree holder, as well as high-level income parents was quite significant. It allowed the parents to easily identify the iron-deficiency anemia amongst children.

Key words: Iron deficiency, socio-demographic, anemia and awareness.