Demystifying prevalence of anemia in female spouses of army personnel in an Army’s Corps zone: A multicentric cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Background: Anemia is an important public health problem all over the world, both in rich and poor countries. The present study is a cross-sectional multicentric study where data from 10 different stations by 16 different medical establishments were collected. Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of anemia in female spouses of army personnel in an Army’s Corps zone. Materials and Methods: The total size of the sample was 14,273 which covered female spouses of army personnel of five different formations under an Army’s Corps zone. All the non-pregnant female spouses of army personnel were screened for anemia using hemoglobin level estimation. Uniform instructions for screening were given from the medical branch of Army’s Corps Headquarters to medical units. Results: The prevalence of anemia found in this study was 21.54% which is much below the national prevalence of 55% as per National Family Health Survey-3 data. Conclusions: Our study with a large sample size demonstrates that the prevalence of anemia in female spouses of army personnel is almost half of national prevalence. This is indeed a landmark achievement of the Army Medical Corps where success was achieved in reducing the burden of anemia.