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Background: Anemia is a common morbidity in elderly persons (aged 60 years or above). In India, in recent years, the number of old age homes (OAHs) and the residents living in them has increased significantly. Objective: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anemia among elderly persons living in OAHs. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among individuals living in OAH in Delhi, India. Using combination of location and type of OAH, 28 clusters of almost equal sizes were created, of which 13 clusters were randomly selected, and all elderly persons living therein were selected for the study. Sociodemographic profile was recorded using a self-designed, semistructured interview schedule. Hemoglobin (Hb) was estimated using HemoCue Hb 201+ system. Binary Logistic regression was used to assess the socioeconomic determinants of anemia. Results: The study included 334 elderly persons, with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 75.2 (8.6) years and mean (SD) Hb of 11.6 (1.7) g/dL. The mean (SD) Hb in men was 12.1 (1.7) g/dL compared to 10.9 (1.5) g/dL among women (P < 0.0001). The overall prevalence of anemia was 68.7% (95% confidence interval 63.9, 73.4); among those who were anemic, 47.4% had mild anemia, 47.0% had moderate anemia, and 5.6% had severe anemia. The prevalence of mild anemia was 45% in men compared to 24.8% in women. The odds of anemia among ?80 years was 2 times that among 60–69 years (P < 0.029). Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia among elderly persons in OAHs is high in Delhi, India and increased with age.
RESUMO
Background: Salt fortification with iron is a potential strategy to increase population-level iron intake. The current evidence regarding double-fortified salt (DFS) in improving iron nutrition status is equivocal. Objective: To study the efficacy of DFS as compared to iodine fortified salt (IS) in improving iron nutrition status. Methods: Randomized controlled trials comparing DFS and IS until August 2016 were systematically searched across multiple databases to assess for change in mean hemoglobin (Hb), prevalence of anemia, iron deficiency (ID), ID anemia (IDA), serum ferritin, and serum transferrin receptor (TfR). Meta-analysis was performed using R software. Results: Of the initial 215 articles retrieved using the predetermined search strategy, data from 10 comparisons of DFS and IS across 8 randomized controlled trials are included. There was significant heterogeneity across included studies and the studies were of low to very low quality as per GRADE criteria. DFS significantly increased mean Hb by 0.44 g/dl (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.16, 0.71) and significantly decreased anemia (risk difference ?0.16; 95% CI: ?0.26, ?0.06) and ID (risk difference ?0.20; 95% CI: ?0.32, ?0.08) as compared to IS. There was no statistically significant difference in change in ferritin levels (mean difference 0.62 ?g/L; 95% CI: ?0.12, 1.37), serum TfR levels (mean difference ?0.23 mg/dL; 95% CI: ?0.85, 0.38), and IDA (risk difference ?0.08; 95% CI: ?0.28, 0.11). Conclusion: DFS is a potentially efficacious strategy of addressing anemia as a public health problem at population level. There is a need for effectiveness trials before DFS can be scaled up in program mode at population level.
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Background: In India, more than half of the pregnant women suffer from anemia. Low compliance to iron supplementation is one of the important reasons. Objectives: The objective of the study is to estimate the reduction in the prevalence of anemia, improvement in iron status, and to compare the compliance to oral iron supplementation during pregnancy between directly observed iron-folic acid (IFA) supplementation group and control group. Methods: This was a community-based open labeled parallel block-randomized controlled trial including 400 pregnant women in a rural setting of north India. In the intervention group, the first dose of IFA every week was supervised by ASHA and women were instructed to take the remaining tablets during the week as per the prescription. In control group, IFA tablets were supplemented without direct supervision. Results: After 100 days of IFA supplementation, the reduction in anemia in the intervention group was 6% higher as compared to control group (P = 0.219). The increase in the mean hemoglobin level over and above control group was 0.52 g/dl in intervention group (P < 0.001). However, the mean increase in serum ferritin level in the intervention group was similar to the control group. The mean percentage compliance in the intervention group was almost 9% higher than that of control group (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Directly supervised oral iron (IFA) supplementation improves compliance to oral iron (IFA) supplementation and also improves hemoglobin status among pregnant women. However, the mean increase in serum ferritin and reduction in the prevalence of anemia in the intervention group were not higher than the control group.
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Iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) constitute a significant public health problem globally. In India, the entire population is prone to IDDs due to deficiency of iodine in the soil of the sub-continent and thus both animal and plant source food grown on the iodine-deficient soil. IDDs encompass the spectrum of disability and disease and include goitre, cretinism, hypothyroidism, abortion, stillbirth, brain damage, learning disabilities, mental retardation, psychomotor defects, hearing and speech impairment. Iodine deficiency is known to be the single largest cause of preventable brain damage. IDDs with their causal association with brain development, cognition, and learning disabilities impair the human resource development and progress of the country. The children born in iodine-deficient regions on an average have 13.5 intelligence quotient (IQ) points lesser than children born in iodine-sufficient regions. IDD control programme in India is a public health success story, with 92 per cent of the population consuming iodized salt. The partnership between government agencies, academic institutions, salt industry, development agencies and civil society has been key to achieve this success story. The sustainable elimination of iodine deficiency in India is within reach, what is required is accelerated and coordinated effort by all key stakeholder at national and State level.
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Anthropometric changes take place with increasing age. Progressive loss of height makes it difficult to use height for calculation of body mass index in nutritional screening of elderly persons. There is a need to find other alternative methods which could be used as proxy measurements of height in them. To assess the relationship of height and arm span and among elderly persons. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among elderly persons in urban colony of Delhi. Height and arm span of persons aged 60 years and above (n = 711) were measured according to standard methods. Correlation between arm span and height was calculated. The mean arm span was seen to be more than the mean height in all age-groups and both sexes. There was a linear relationship between height and arm-span in all age-groups. There was a strong correlation between arm span and height in all age groups. Arm span could be used instead of height as an alternative in the conventional body mass index in elderly persons.