ASSOCIATION OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AND DIETARY PREFERENCE WITH ANAEMIA AMONG MALES: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Anaemia is a problem of paramount importance but research about its impact and socio-demographic characteristics in adult men is scanty. The current study aimed to determine the frequency and association of socio-demographic factors and dietary preference with anaemia in male patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Department of Medicine, Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad. A total of 144 patients were enrolled. Patients were interviewed on basis of a questionnaire and examined for symptoms of anaemia. Admitted patients from medicine ward who were aged above 20 years were included in the study. Unconscious patients and those who were unable to communicate were excluded from the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS-22. Results: This study included a total of 144 patients. Respondents were in the age range of 22–90 years with mean age 49.66±16.474 years. A total of 90 (62.5%) patients belonged to rural areas and 54 (37.5%) belonged to urban areas, 50 (34.7%) were unemployed and 94 (65.3%) were employed. Presence of anaemia was found to be significantly associated with concomitant presence of chronic diseases (p<0.05). Conclusion: Moderate anaemia is common in our males, and is significantly associated with presence of chronic diseases. No significant association of anaemia was found with dietary preferences. Pak J Physiol 2024;20(3):56–8, DOI: https://doi.org/10.69656/pjp.v20i3.1754