Accelerating anaemia reduction: a comprehensive framework for action

Overview

This document is an output of a WHO cross-programme initiative aiming to improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of anaemia and thereby accelerate reduction in its prevalence.

It comes at an important time, midway through the era of the Sustainable Development Goals, when progress in reducing anaemia has stagnated. This framework is based on the core principles of primary health care: meeting people’s health needs through comprehensive promotive, protective, curative, and rehabilitative care along the life course; systematically addressing the broader determinants of health; and empowering individuals, families, and communities to optimize their health

Iron deficiency is the most common and commonly recognized cause of anaemia and, to date, most work on addressing anaemia has been focused on the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency. However, anaemia is a complex condition with multiple causes – including other nutritional deficiencies, infections, inflammation, gynaecological and obstetric conditions, and inherited red blood cell disorders — requiring a multisectoral approach, building on existing interventions, to make progress against the global target. This document is relevant to the prevention, diagnosis and management of all forms of anaemia. It covers anaemia due to micronutrient deficiencies, inflammation, infection, obstetric and gynaecological disorders, and inherited blood disorders, acknowledging the important role of social determinants of health and the challenges in accurately measuring haemoglobin concentrations and indicators of the underlying causes of anaemia. It consolidates the evidence and describes how multiple sectors can work together to identify and address key barriers and seize opportunities to reduce the burden of anaemia. While the main focus is on menstruating women and adolescents, pregnant and postpartum women, and children, in low- and middle-income countries, several interventions also benefit populations across the life course and around the world.

This document will be complemented by operational guidance and a monitoring framework that will elaborate on how to strengthen multisectoral responses and implement actions in a coordinated and comprehensive way.

By leveraging the evidence, actions and resources in this document, we can further accelerate anaemia reduction. We must all work together to ensure that women, adolescent girls and children affected by anaemia receive the care and support they need and deserve.