Association of soybean-based food with the prevalence of anemia among reproductive aged men and women in rural Central Java, Indonesia

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between soybean consumption and anemic status in Central Java, Indonesia. DESIGN: As part of an overarching sanitation improvement intervention in Central Java, Indonesia, we conducted a cross-sectional study in four rural villages. The study consisted of a 24-hour food recall, anthropometric measurements, blood hemoglobin measurement and stool sampling to test for soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infection status. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to test the association between soybean consumption and anemic status after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, STH infection, dietary diversity and anthropometric status. SETTING: This study took place in four rural villages of Wonosobo regency, Central Java, Indonesia. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were rural villagers aged between 15 and 49 years. RESULTS: A total sample size of 763 was attained, of which 231 were anemic. The prevalence of anemia was 30.2% among men and women of reproductive age, and highest among young males. Consumption of soybean was high (79.8%). After adjusting for covariates, the protective association between soybean consumption and anemia was statistically significant (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.30-0.95, p<0.05). There was a positive association with anemia among underweight (AOR = 2.75, 95% CI = 1.13-6.69, p<0.05) and those with high diet diversity (AOR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.00-1.97, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results were consistent with studies from other countries finding a protective association between soybean consumption and anemia. This association appeared stronger for tofu than for tempeh. The prevalence of anemia in rural Central Java is relatively consistent with nationwide statistics indicating that interventions targeting anemia are still largely required.