Global Prevalence of Anemia among Adolescent Tribal Girls: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anemia among adolescent Indigenous girls remains a major public health concern worldwide, yet evidence in this area is limited. OBJECTIVES: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to find out the global prevalence of anemia among adolescent Indigenous girls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted by using predefined Medical Subject Headings in PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and Clinical Key. This meta-analysis included cross-sectional studies published in English between 2014 and 2024 and conducted among Indigenous girls aged 10-19 years. Data extraction was independently performed by two reviewers using Rayyan software, and the study adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. A total of nine studies were incorporated with a sample size of 1,299 samples from a total of 395 studies. RESULTS: The pooled findings demonstrated a high burden of anemia among adolescent Indigenous girls, with an odds ratio of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74-0.90). CONCLUSION: The results highlight a substantial global prevalence of anemia in this vulnerable population and underscore the urgent need for context-specific anemia prevention and control strategies targeting adolescent Indigenous girls.