Abstract :
Adolescence is a vulnerable period in the human life cycle for the development of
nutritional anemia, particularly among girls. A cross-sectional survey was
conducted in an Urban Health Center, in New Delhi with the objectives
to find out the prevalence and associated socio-demographic factors of iron
deficiency anemia along with the study of compliance to weekly iron folic acid
supplementation (WIFS). A total of 60 adolescent females (10–19 years old) were
included in this study. The study was undertaken from Nov 2013 – Dec 2013 (2
months) using a pre-tested questionnaire containing items to assess the sociodemographic profile, their medical history and past history. After taking their
assent, hemoglobin (Hb) was estimated using HemoCue method. The prevalence
of anemia was found to be 71.1%. A significant association of presence of anemia
was found with lower socio-economic status and non-intake of WIFS. Mean
height and weight of subjects with anemia was significantly less in anemic girls
than participants without anemia. Significant association of anemia was found
with non-consumption of Iron Folic Acid (IFA) tablets (?2 value – 5.3, p value
0.02). A high prevalence of anemia among adolescent females was found, which
was higher in the lower socio-economic strata and those not consuming WIFS.
Thus there is a need to strengthen the programme for the prevention of anemia
among adolescent girls through nutrition education and anemia prophylaxis.
Keyword :
Adolescent, anemia, prophylaxis, iron, supplementation.