Prevalence of Anemia among Adult Male Camel Milk Consumers and Nonconsumers in Rural Rajasthan: A Community-based Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Anemia is an important nutritional disorder with major public health importance. In India, anemia prevalence among adult males was 25.0% (NFHS-5, 2020–2021). Being rich in iron and other micronutrients camel milk might decrease the nutritional anemia prevalence. The objective was to determine the prevalence of anemia among adult male camel milk consumers (CMC) versus nonconsumers in rural Rajasthan. Materials and Methods: A community-based study was conducted among 30 CMC adult male. All the participants meeting the eligibility criteria were recruited. The same numbers of non-CMC (NCMC) adult males were recruited with respect to similar age, sex, and residence. After obtaining informed consent a semi-structured interview schedule containing sociodemographic, dietary characteristics were introduced to all participants in June 2013. The participants were assessed for their hemoglobin (Hb) level from fingertip capillary blood using the Cyanmet Hb method as suggested by Dacie and Lewis. The prevalence of anemia in each group was compared. Data were entered into Microsoft Excel version 2013 and analyzed in Stata version 13. Results: The prevalence of anemia was more (26.6%) among nonconsumers than CMCs (16.6%). There was a significant difference between these groups (P < 0.001). The mean (standard deviation) Hb (g/dL) level of the male in the CMC and NCMC categories was found to be 13.0 (0.99) and 12.22 (1.51) in adult males, respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.021). Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia among CMC adult males was lower than nonconsumers with relatively higher levels of Hb in the former group. Future studies are recommended for further inference.