Assessing the factors influencing the severity of anemia in tribal women of Malkangiri, Odisha, India

Background: Anemia is a serious public health concern with a high prevalence in tribal communities' women in India. Despite several implementations to strengthen the maternal health and nutrition program, anemia persists. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to estimate anemia prevalence and to examine the predictors of anemia among Koya and Matia tribal women in a district of Odisha, Malkangiri. Materials and Methods: For this study, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 519 tribal (Koya- 326) and (Matia- 193) women aged 15-49 years. A pre-tested schedule was used to collect data on different demographic variables, and a Hemoglobin (Hb) meter was used to estimate Hb level. Prevalence of anemia among tribal women was estimated and Chi-Square and Multinomial logistics regression were used to find the association. Results: The mean hemoglobin value in the overall sample (n=519) was 7.86±1.77. The results showed that 34.35% of Koya and 33.67% of Matia were severely anemic, while 56.13% of Koya and 55.43% of Matia were moderately anemic, and mild anemia was reported to be 3.68 in Koya and 4.14 in Matia's women. Early marriage, women's age at first childbirth, parity, were major factors influencing the severity of anemia. Conclusion: The high prevalence of anemia among both communities' tribal women necessitates immediate action through targeted interventions to enhance and ensure widespread coverage of anemia control programs, especially in tribal areas.