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To
Study the Prevalence of Anaemia in Young
Males and Females with Respect to the Age,
Body Mass Index (BMI), Activity Profile and
the Socioeconomic Status in Rural Punjab
1020-1026
Correspondence
Vitull K. Gupta, Assistant Professor, AIMSR.
5042, Afim Wali Gali, Bathinda-151001, Punjab, India.
Phone: 9417020903
E-mail: vitullgupta2000@yahoo.com
Background: Anaemia is one of India’s major public health problems. The prevalence of anaemia was found to range from 30% to 98% in different studies from different regions. The National Family Health Survey–3 data showed that Punjab, along with Manipur, Mizoram, Goa, and Kerala, had the lowest levels of anaemia throughout the country.
Objectives: The present study was designed to assess the prevalence of anaemia among the apparently healthy young males and females from rural Punjab.
Methods: The young population, both males (5-20 years) and females (5-30 years) from rural Punjab, was studied for the prevalence of anaemia with respect to the body mass index, the activity profile and the socio-economic status.
Results: The prevalence of anaemia in females (5-30 years) was 89.5%, which included 49.8% of mild, 38.2% of moderate and1.5% of severe anaemia cases. The prevalence of anaemia in males (5-20 years) was 89.9%, with 51.2% suffering from mild, 38% from moderate and 0.7% from severe anaemia. Both males and females who were in the younger age group, who were underweight, who belonged to a lower socio-economic status and who had a low activity life style, had a higher prevalence of anaemia.
Conclusions: The present study found a high prevalence of anaemia in both males and females in the rural population, thus indicating that the problem of anaemia was related to a wider population than the traditional groups of the pregnant and lactating females and children. More detailed studies are needed to find out the cause and the type of anaemia along with other risk factors in all the age groups, irrespective of sex.