Determinants of Anaemia among Adolescents in Rural Nalgonda

Prevalence of anemia has been adequately studied in India but there is need to study temporal changes in prevalence, its determinants, especially during adolescence-a phase of rapid growth life, under ‘continuum of care’ concept. The present study quantifies the prevalence, severity and type of anemia among school attending adolescents of rural Nalgonda, and identify socio-demographic, cultural and nutritional factors related with the anemia. 353 healthy subjects between 11–19 years of age were included. Data was collected on structured questionnaire through face-to-face interview and compiled on Windows EXCEL. Appropriate statistical tests of significance were applied to identify associations and results tabulated. Age, gender, blood group, handwashing and type of house had significant association with prevalence of anaemia in the present study. Factors such as religion, mother's education, family size, social class, use of footwear, type of family, BMI, method of excreta disposal, type of diet, drinking water source did not show significant association with prevalence of anaemia.