
Hb is a Social Technology dedicated to diagnosing and overcoming iron deficiency anemia in schools.
Current Status
By 2025, the project in Santa Luzia do Itanhy, Sergipe, aims to continue the development of a specific device to optimize the identification of iron deficiency anemia. This initiative is a continuation of the hemoglobin (Hb) screening campaign that was resumed in 2024 in the schools of the region.










Historic
The Hb is a Social Technology in the field of basic healthcare aimed at diagnosing and treating iron-deficiency anemia in schools, with the goal of supporting the full development of children and adolescents. Recognized by the World Health Organization as the most widespread nutritional disorder in the world, it affects one-quarter of the global population and leads to consequences such as reduced motor and cognitive performance. The initiative is based on the use of a portable, simple, and low-cost device for measuring hemoglobin levels in the blood, combined with an awareness-raising methodology for detection, treatment, and the adoption of healthier eating habits.
Since the beginning of its activities, iron-deficiency anemia rates among students in the schools of Santa Luzia do Itanhy/SE have been reduced from 32% to 5.8%. Starting in 2015, the initiative gained scalability and began to be reapplied in other locations, such as Boquim/SE and Borba/AM. In these locations, anemia rates were reduced from 25% to 4.8% and from 59% to 3.9%, respectively. As a result of these achievements, the Hb project won the Banco do Brasil Foundation Social Technology Award in 2013, and in 2017, the experience in the village of Axinim, in the municipality of Borba/AM, won the “Mostra Brasil, Aqui Tem SUS” public call in the Conasems Webdocs Award category. In 2023, the focus was on validating a mathematical model and a mobile app under development with the Federal University of Juiz de Fora. Five schools from different districts were selected to collect 383 blood samples, resulting in the diagnosis of 55 children with iron-deficiency anemia, 33 of whom began treatment. Additionally, the educational magazine *"Battle in the Arteries: The Worms Attack"* was printed, and the "HB Workshop" was created in partnership with NHAM and the nursing team from the Health Department, aiming to raise community awareness in a playful and engaging way. In 2024, ferritin level tracking was implemented in the TAG management system, allowing for the automatic generation of measures in alert cases. Participatory strategies were developed to raise awareness and promote changes in dietary and hygiene habits among children aged 2 to 8, following the best practices from the Ministry of Health. An action protocol was also created for the pilot plan communities, aiming to treat iron-deficiency anemia in diagnosed children, with significant results in controlling anemia prevalence among students in the participating schools.
In 2023, Hb covered 383 participants in 5 schools in its testing

Results

3.882
Participantes
6.988
Indirect beneficiaries
3
Municipalities
+80%
Of reduction in iron deficiency anemia rates
Material Resources
Recognition

Winner of the Fundação Banco do Brasil Award in Social Technology (2013)
Experience in Axinim (AM) won the “Mostra Brasil, Aqui tem Sus” Notice, in the Conasems Webdocs Awards category (2017)

Gallery
Interaction with others projects





























