Jump to main body of page

County of Orange  >  Health Care Agency >  Public Health Services   >  Nutrition Services 

Links Menu

Nutrition Services
P.O. Box 6099
Santa Ana, CA 92706

Fax:
(714) 834-8028

logo - Network for a Health California

OC Anemia Task Force

About 1 in 6 Orange County children from low-income families has anemia* - too little iron in the blood. Anemia can make a child feel tired, get sick more often and have trouble concentrating at school.(bar graph:prevalance of anemia in low-income children in 1998)

Orange County's anemia rates for low-income children are higher than the state average and much higher than the national Healthy People 2010 goal. Children may be anemic for many reasons but it is usually caused by not getting enough iron from the foods they eat. Iron deficiency anemia is a condition that is preventable.

To help address the public health problem of anemia, Nutrition Services and others from the community formed the Orange County Anemia Task Force. The group was active from 1997-1999 and conducted many anemia prevention projects. Though the Task Force is no longer meeting, iron-deficiency anemia remains a health concern and prevention activities continue.

Help Children Learn & Grow: Prevent Anemia Education Materials Available

  • Video: "For Goodness Sake! Prevent Anemia"
    (English, Spanish), 20 tapes available for loan

  • "You Can Prevent Anemia" flip chart (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Hmong) Copies and overheads available for loan

  • "Foods High in Iron" handout (English, Spanish, Vietnamese),
    no charge for small quantities or copy ready originals

  • "Prevent Anemia – Shopping list of foods high in iron" (English, Spanish, Vietnamese), no charge for small quantities or copy ready originals

  • "Prevent Anemia" Lesson Plan, 4-6th grade level,
    no charge for copy ready originals

  • Background information on anemia, miscellaneous materials – Call for details

If you need further information or can help with anemia education,
please call Nutrition Services at:
(714) 834-7984.

(line graph:low-income children in orange county-anemia by age & ethnicity 1998)

 

*Data from the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) Program, Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System -CDCE
 

HCA Mission: Excellence, Integrity and Service