Anemia and physical fitness of school children of rural Hyderabad.

ABSTRACT

Physical fitness status of 119 school children was assessed by administering a simple field level 'running test' without any sophisticated equipment. Moderately anemic children had taken significantly longer time (6.25 min) to complete the 'running test' distance of 1.6 Km. Children with normal hemoglobin (Hb) values and those with higher level normal Hb values took shorter times (7.42 and 7.06 min) to complete the test distance. Deficits of weight for age, height for age and weight for height did not exert independent influence on the 'running time'. Anemic children in the sub-groups of each category of nutritional anthropometric indicator, performed poorly. Anemia proved to be a handicap either in the presence or absence of anthropometric deficits. Mild and moderate anemia imposed handicaps on physical endurance and fitness of school children irrespective of other nutritional deficits.