Prevalence of Elevated Blood Lead Levels and Gender Differences Among School Children in Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

Lead toxicity is a major health problem in developing countries as lead exposure is widely scattered in the environment. Children are particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxicity of low-level, prolonged exposure to lead. Long-term effects of lead accumulation in children can damage them physically and mentally.  We evaluated Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) among school children in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

A cross-sectional study with randomly selected participants was conducted in 2 junior high schools to determine the prevalence of elevated BLLs and gender differences. Among 130 children, aged 12–15, 32 (24,6%) had elevated BLLs based on CDC reference ≥3,5 µg/dl with mean of BLLs 3,01 ±1.14, and 27 out of 32 (84.4%) with elevated BLLs were males. Male students had 5.62 times higher risk (CI: 2.00–15.81) with elevated BLLs compared to female students (p=< 0.001).

We concluded that the prevalence of elevated BLLs is high in both schools, and there was a statistically significant difference in blood lead levels between male and female students. Other risk factors may affect the difference in blood lead levels among schoolchildren.

Keywords:

Blood Lead Levels, children, gender difference, Indonesia

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