ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in children of Lahore
Study Design: Cross sectional survey
Setting: Hospitals in different areas of Lahore
Period: 3 months
Methodology: A total sample of three hundred and sixty children was taken from different areas of Lahore. Simple random sampling technique was used. Data collection was done by using a cross sectional survey. An informed consent was taken from the parents of children selected for including in the study and using their data for research purpose. The complete demographic information like name, age, sex, address was obtained. Venous blood samples were obtained for analysis of their hemoglobin [Hb] level. All the data collected was entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 20
Results: A total of 360 children were selected for the study. The mean age of respondents was 9.87 +/- 2.67. Among all subjects there were 158[43.89%] male and 202 [56.1%] were female patients. The mean Hb in all subjects was 9.82 +/- 3.46. The overall prevalence of iron deficiency anemia was 224[62.2%]. Among anemic patients there 101 [45%] male and 123 [55%] female patients in this study, we found no significant association between anemia and gender, p-value >0.05
Conclusion: Prevalence of iron deficiency anemia is considerably higher in children of Lahore under study. We should take some defensive measure to cope with it as mathematical deficiency affect children's health, mental and physical activities