Iron-deficiency anaemia and its effect on worker productivity and activity patterns.

Edgerton, V. Reggie; Gardner, G. W.; Ohira, Yoshinobu; Gunawardena, K A; Senewiratne, B.

doi:10.1136/bmj.2.6204.1546

Cited by 177 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Mean haemoglobin levels and daily productivity described in a study conducted on a tea estate in the Kandy area of the Central Province in the 1970s were similar to those found by us [15]. However, this study did not investigate the factors that could lead to iron deficiency anaemia in the study population, particularly hookworm infection.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

Nutritional status and productivity of Sri Lankan tea pluckers

Selvaratnam¹,

Silva

Pathmeswaran

et al. 2011

Ceylon Med. J.

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Objective To assess the impact of nutritional status on productivity of tea pluckers.Design Cross-sectional, analytical.Setting and participants of study All tea pluckers in five divisions of a tea estate in Hatton.Measurements A dietary survey was conducted using the 24 h dietary recall method. Nutritional status was assessed by measurement of body mass index (BMI) and haemoglobin (Hb) levels, and faeces were examined for helminth ova. The daily weight of tea leaves plucked and the number of days worked by each woman during the preceding month were noted from production records.Results Three hundred and four women (mean age 37.8 years, SD 8.4) were examined. The majority (59.9%) had evidence of chronic energy deficiency (BMI<18.5). Almost all (94.4%) were anaemic (Hb<13.3 g/dl, altitude adjusted cutoff). Mean daily iron intake was 8.7 mg (SD 2.3 mg), 45.9% of the national recommended dietary allowance. Only 10.1% had hookworm infection, all of light intensity. Multivariate regression analysis showed that dietary iron intake, the number of children and the number of children below 5 years, but not hookworm infection, were independently associated with Hb (p<0.05). There was a strong positive correlation between monthly productivity and Hb, but not with BMI. Variation in Hb levels accounted for 65% of variation in productivity (adjusted R 2 =0.651).Conclusions Most of the study population had chronic energy deficiency and anaemia. Dietary inadequacy of iron is a much more important causative factor than hookworm infection. Productivity was strongly associated with the degree of anaemia but not with BMI.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 47%

Nutritional status and productivity of Sri Lankan tea pluckers

Selvaratnam¹,

Silva

Pathmeswaran

et al. 2011

Ceylon Med. J.

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“…In a controlled trial of Fe treatment given to Fe-deficient female tea pickers in Sri Lanka, the quantity of tea picked increased significantly after one month of supplementation with the increase being greatest in women who were initially most anaemic (Edgerton et al 1979). Anaemia is of particular concern in pregnancy.…”

Section: Anaemiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional issues for women in developing countries

Walker

1997

Proc. Nutr. Soc.

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The topic of nutrition of women in developing countries has largely been equivalent to maternal nutrition with emphasis on the effect of the mother's nutritional status on birth weight and lactational performance. Little attention has been paid to the well-being of the mother and the effects of nutrition on her performance in social and economic activities. In the present review I will limit discussion of maternal nutrition to its relationship with the nutritional status of the mother as opposed to the child, and will focus on other aspects of women's nutrition. Issues related to reproduction are the topic of another review in the present symposium (Goldberg, 1997).Recognition of the importance of nutrition of women in developing countries has increased over the past decade with initiatives by a number of international organizations helping to encourage work in this area. The United Nations Administrative Committee on CoordinatiodSub-Committee on Nutrition (ACC/SCN) held a symposium in 1989 on Women and Nutrition (Administrative Committee on CoordinatiodSub-Committee on Nutrition, 1990) which considered issues such as women's work loads and time constraints. The International Center for Research on Women together with the US Agency for International Development co-ordinated a research programme, involving twenty projects in developing countries, on Maternal Nutrition and Health Care from 1987-90 (Parker et al. 1990). Although this second initiative focused on maternal nutrition, the emphasis was on the mother's nutritional status rather than pregnancy outcomes. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund dealt with the topic of women's work and the need for access to child care (Himes et al. 1992) and launched the Girl Child Initiative to address issues related to gender discrimination in childhood. These programmes mark a needed broadening of the area of women's nutrition to finally move away from equating it with maternal nutrition. DEVELOPING COUNTRIESDeveloping countries form a diverse group with varied economic and socio-cultural conditions. They range from the so-called least-developed countries to the rapidlydeveloping economies in east Asia and encompass market economies through highlycentralized ones. Per capita gross national product (GNP) vanes from as little as $100 in countries in Africa such as Mozambique, Tanzania and Ethiopia to over $2000 in some Latin American (e.g. Costa Rica, Brazil) and Asian (e.g. Malaysia, Thailand) countries (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, 1996). Differences in basic infrastructure and the priority given to expenditure on health, education and welfare result in discrepancies between GNP and the health and nutrition status of the population. The contrasting examples of Sri Lanka and Libya are shown in Table 1. Socio-cultural factors, particularly as they relate to the position of women in society, are also important in determining the nutrition of women.Some developing countries are experiencing an epidemiological transition, with a ...

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“…A de®cient intra-uterine blood supply to the foetus due to iron de®ciency anaemia during pregnancy may result in premature labour, still birth, abnormal labour (Goltner, 1975) and perhaps lower foetal weight (WHO, 1975). More insidious social costs of iron de®ciency are limitation in intellectual development in children (Pollitt et al, 1989) and impaired work performance in adults (Edgerton et al, 1979), which together constrain social and economic development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anaemia and iron deficiency among adolescent schoolgirls in peri-urban Bangladesh

et al. 2000

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Objective: To investigate the prevalence of anaemia and iron de®ciency among adolescent schoolgirls in periurban Bangladesh, and to identify various factors associated with anaemia in this population. Design: A cross-sectional design. Setting: Girls' high schools in ®ve sub-districts of Dhaka. Subjects: Adolescent girls (n 548) aged 11 ± 16 y from nine schools in Dhaka district participated in the study. Socio-economic, anthropometric and dietary information were collected. Blood haemoglobin (Hb), serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin saturation (TS), serum ferritin (SF) and serum retinol (vitamin A) were determined. Results: The prevalence of anaemia (Hb`120 gal) among the participants was 27%. Seventeen percent had depleted iron stores (SF`12 mgal). Of all anaemic girls, 32% had iron de®ciency anaemia (Hb`120 gal and SF`12 mgal). When the girls were classi®ed by serum vitamin A, the third with the lowest serum retinol levels had signi®cantly lower Hb and SF levels. Signi®cant positive correlations were observed between Hb and serum iron, TS, SF and retinol, while there was a negative correlation with serum TIBC. Occupancy, frequency of consumption of large ®sh, serum iron, TIBC, TS, SF and serum vitamin A were strongly related to Hb by multiple regression analysis. For 1 mgal change in SF concentration, there was a 0.046 gal change in Hb, when adjusted for all other factors. Conclusion: Anaemia among these adolescent schoolgirls in peri-urban Bangladesh cannot be explained by iron de®ciency alone, and other causes may also exist in this population. Descriptors: iron de®ciency; anaemia; adolescent girls; serum ferritin; serum vitamin A

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Iron-deficiency anaemia and its effect on worker productivity and activity patterns.

Cited by 177 publications

References 4 publications

Nutritional status and productivity of Sri Lankan tea pluckers

Nutritional status and productivity of Sri Lankan tea pluckers

Nutritional issues for women in developing countries

Anaemia and iron deficiency among adolescent schoolgirls in peri-urban Bangladesh

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