Nutritional assessment and prevalence of anaemia in adolescents

Background: Anaemia is a major public health problem especially in adolescents due to increased nutritional requirements, rapid growth, menstrual blood loss, poor dietary practices and limited awareness. In this study anaemia was classified according to the WHO age and sex specific haemoglobin cut-offs. The study aimed to evaluate knowledge, dietary practices and haemoglobin status among adolescents and to determine factors associated with its prevention. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 adolescents using a structured questionnaire to collect information on demographic characteristics, awareness of anaemia, dietary habits, health-seeking behaviour, and related risk factors. Estimation of haemoglobin and anthropometric measurements were done. The factors between male and female participants were compared and significant relationships were identified by statistical analysis. Results: Anaemia was found in 15.0% of the 400 adolescents. Haemoglobin level <11g/dL was significantly more common in female adolescents than in male adolescents (18.0% vs. 9.0%). Stomach upset (21.3%) was a commonly reported symptom. Anaemia awareness was poor; 66.2% had never heard about anaemia, and 63.3% were not aware of the causes. There were significant differences in anaemia education, dietary practices. Menstruating adolescents reported irregular menstrual cycles (42.4%) and heavy menstrual bleeding (40.0%). Conclusions: Poor dietary practices, inadequate awareness and limited preventive health behaviour are still major challenges in reducing the burden of anaemia among adolescents. Comprehensive school and community-based nutrition education, regular screening, promotion of balanced diets with iron and other micronutrients, and early preventive measures are necessary for better adolescent health and reducing prevalence of nutritional anaemia.