Manipulating Aspects of Adolescent Anaemia

Abstract

Adolescence is one of the important stages of the lifecycle in terms of health interventions because of increased periodic physiological needs for iron. As a matter of pregnancy, growth spurts in adolescents, slightly exaggerated physiological functions, bleeding, both internal and external, and worm infestations, leads to certain quantity of iron lost from the body and also increase requirements for iron and prone to get anaemia during adolescence. Objective is to assess the factors influence anaemia among rural adolescent girls and to find out the association between myths and facts on anaemia and selected socio-demographic variables. A community based descriptive cross sectional study was done, using cluster sampling technique, 384 adolescent girls (10-19 years) from Vellore and Kancheepuram districts were selected based upon the inclusion criteria after obtaining an informed consent. Pre-structured, pre-tested questionnaire regarding factors influence anaemia was used which included information on socio-demographic, medical history, myths and facts on anaemia. It was concluded that major determinants of anaemia among adolescent girls were passage of worms in the stool, past history of malaria, poor intake of iron rich diet. Majority of the adolescents (16-19yrs) were having completely wrong myth on anaemia, and also there was significant association present between completely wrong myth on anaemia and selected socio-demographic factors.