Prevalence of Anemia in Children of Rural Population of Northern State of India

Abstract

Introduction: India carries the highest burden of anemia, particularly in children and women. Children at the growing stage are at the risk of nutrition depletion, hence anemia. Fewer data are available on the prevalence of anemia in growing children of age 10-14 years. It is important to intervene early and track this group. The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of anemia and its correlation to age, gender and body mass index in children of rural area of Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Method: Total 600 children of 5-13 years age group were included in this study. A detailed questionnaire was used to collect the health details of the children and socioeconomic status of the parents. Hemoglobin was determined by the calibrated Hemoglobin analyzer. Body mass index values were calculated based on the measurements of weight and height of the children. Results: Prevalence of anemia as per WHO standards in these children was 57.67%. Results of the study population reveal that anemia in this region is more prevalent in girls (68%) when compared to boys (47.3%). However, association between body mass index and hemoglobin was not statistically significant in the present study. Conclusions: Our results suggest that increased prevalence of anemia in the children of rural area is associated with multiple nutrient deficiencies. Nutritional interventions, evaluation of predisposing risk factors and increased coverage of supplementation programme are recommended measures that can be adopted to control anemia in children.