Childhood anemia and household salt iodization in Peru: population disparities among children aged 6–59 months

Background: Childhood anemia remains a priority public health problem in Peru. Although universal salt iodization is an established strategy to prevent iodine deficiency disorders, evidence on household-level salt iodization and disparities in anemia remains limited. Objective: To estimate anemia prevalence and evaluate disparities according to the adequacy of iodine content in household salt among girls and boys aged 6 to 59 months in Peru, as well as to explore variation according to area of residence and household wealth level. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study using data from the Peruvian Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) 2014-2023. We included 110,561 children aged 6 to 59 months with valid hemoglobin measurement and a household salt iodine rapid test. Anemia was defined as altitude-adjusted hemoglobin