Prevalence and Correlates of Nutritional Anaemia among Adolescent Girls of Distt. U.S. Nagar, Uttarakhand

Aim: Present study was carried out to determine the prevalence and epidemiological correlates of anaemia among adolescent girls (AGs) of district U. S. Nagar, Uttarakhand (India).

Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted between March-November 2017 among 880 AGs (10-19 years) in 88 anganwadi (AWC) centers covering three blocks one each from rural, urban and tribal blocks of district U.S. Nagar. A pre-structured questionnaire was used to collect socio-demographic, dietary and menstrual health data on AGs along with their anthropometric and heamoglobin (Hb) measurements. Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed using R software between independent variables categorised under socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric, menstrual health and dietary characters versus the presence of anaemia. Independent variables which were found to be significantly associated with the presence of anaemia, in univariate analysis were further analysed through multiple regression analysis to find predictors of anaemia.

Results: The mean age of the study population was 15.4 years. Prevalence of anaemia was found to be 83.18% among AGs with mean Hb value of 10.62±1.5g/dl. In univariate analysis, consumption of iron folic acid supplement (IFA), age, current school status, exposure to nutrition education on anaemia, mother’s literacy status, number of children in the family, abdominal obesity, behavior of skipping meals, number of meals per day, duration of menstrual flow and type of menstrual flow were significantly associated with anaemia in AGs. While multiple regression analysis revealed that the strongest predictors of anaemia were non-exposure to nutrition education on anaemia AOR (95%CI) 1.76 (1.36, 3.12); mother’s illiteracy AOR (95%CI) 1.56(1.17,1.96) and long duration (>5 days) of menstrual flow AOR (95%CI) 1.45(1.25, 1.65), and these were significantly associated with increased odds of nutritional anaemia while consumption of IFA AOR(95%CI) 0.329(-0.04-0.71), scanty menstrual flow AOR (95%CI) 0.692(-0.45,0.95) and late adolescent age AOR (95%CI) 0.45(-0.03,0.94) showed a protective effect.