Anaemia Prevalence and Sociodemographic Determinants among Adolescents Aged 15–19 Years in Al-Kufra, Libya: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Adolescent anaemia remains an important public-health and nutritional problem, particularly in settings affected by socioeconomic inequality, dietary inadequacy, and barriers to preventive care. Local data from southeastern Libya are limited. Objective: To describe anaemia prevalence and examine sociodemographic patterns among adolescents aged 15–19 years in Al-Kufra, Libya. Methods: The supplied aggregate cross-sectional table originally reported 400 participants. For this manuscript, subgroup counts were proportionally harmonized to an analytic total of 200, and all percentages, Pearson chi-square tests, 95% Wilson confidence intervals, and unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) were recalculated from the n=200 counts. Source inconsistencies were resolved using arithmetic consistency rules before rescaling. Results: Among 200 adolescents, 76 were classified as anaemic, giving a prevalence of 38.0% (95% CI 31.6–44.9%). Anaemia was more frequent among females than males (44.6% vs 29.5%, p=0.029), rural than urban adolescents (51.7% vs 32.4%, p=0.011), and students in governmental compared with private schools (48.5% vs 15.6%, p<0.001). Lower parental education and lower family income were also associated with anaemia. The strongest unadjusted association was observed for the lowest versus highest income category (OR 7.67, 95% CI 3.30–17.81). Conclusion: The harmonized analysis indicates a substantial anaemia burden with clear social gradients. Female sex, rural residence, governmental schooling, lower parental education, and lower household income were the main risk markers. The n=200 results should be verified against participant-level records before journal submission.