STUDY ON KNOWLEDGE AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS REGARDING ANEMIA AMONG WOMEN AGED 18-45 IN AN URBAN SLUM IN BANGALORE, KARNATAKA.

Background of the study: Anemia is a significant health issue worldwide. Iron Deficiency Anemia is one of the most common forms of anemia. A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the awareness and related factors among women aged 18-45 regarding anemia in an urban slum in Bangalore, Karnataka. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive research approach was adopted in this study. The systematic random sampling technique was used to select 200 women of reproductive age (18-45 years), and a structured interview schedule was used to collect the data. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0 Results: The results showed that the overall knowledge mean score was 21.53 (SD± 3.722), which showed that women of reproductive age (18-45 years) had inadequate knowledge regarding anaemia, out of 200 women, 184 (92.0%) had inadequate knowledge, 16 (8%) had moderately adequate knowledge, and none of them had adequate knowledge. There was significant association between knowledge and socio-economic status of women (P = 0.01). Conclusion: The study concluded that study participants had inadequate knowledge and lack of knowledge about anaemia, which may be the main causes for the increasing prevalence of anaemia among them. the study emphasises the urgent need for comprehensive and inclusive public health initiatives to address the widespread lack of anemia awareness among women of reproductive age, ultimately contributing to better maternal and child health in the broader community.