A cross-sectional study of anemia among urban and rural adolescent girls in district Ambala, Haryana

ABSTRACT

Background: Anemia is a continuously rising threat to not only present but also future generations as well and Indians are under high risk, especially adolescent girls. The anemic adolescent girls grow into adult women with compromised growth, both physical and mental. These women have low pre-pregnancy weight and are more likely to die during childbirth and deliver low birth weight babies. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to find the prevalence of anemia in urban and rural adolescent school-going girls 10–16 years of age, among adolescent girls of district Ambala, Haryana. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in government and private schools of district Ambala. This study was conducted among 300 adolescent girls, 10–16 years of age studying in government and private schools of Ambala. The blood samples were taken from the students and hemoglobin was measured. Data were collected by interviewing the study subjects using a self-designed, pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Results: Overall prevalence of anemia was found to be 69.7%. Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia was very high among adolescent girls. This indicates a need to educate them about anemia and its risk factors. Regular screening of school students to rule out anemia is the need of the hour.