Prevalence and association of various risk factors with anemia among adolescent girls of vallabh vidyanagar (gujarat)

Abstract

Introduction- Anemia is known to be a significant public health problem in many countries. India has the world’s highest prevalence of iron deficiency anemia among females, with 60 to 70% of the adolescent girls being anemic. Aim- The present study was aimed to estimate the prevalence and associated risk factors of anemia among adolescent girls of Vallabh Vidyanagar. Method- Cross sectional population (N=500) was taken for the study purpose from schools of Vallabh Vidyanagar. The blood samples were estimated for hemoglobin and complete hemogram by the automated Hematology analyzer. The statistical analysis was done by using the SPSS version 15.0 for the windows. Result- The prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls was found to be very high. 26.4% adolescent girls were mildly anemic while 19.4 % and 2.4% were moderately and severely anemic. The prevalence was significantly higher (P≤0.05) in those belonging to schedule tribe community and those from urban area. The associated risk factor of anemia was found to be caste. The multiple regression analysis showed a significant association between Hemoglobin and HCT (Hematocrit Value) and MCHC (Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration). The blood hemoglobin also showed a significant association with two clinical symptoms namely white pale glazed tongue and pale nails. Conclusion- The present study calls for a need to improve nutritional status of adolescent girls through counseling as well as health education and school programme should be implemented to improve the awareness on healthy dietary habits.