Prevalence and predictors of anaemia among adolescents in India: An exploration from Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults Survey

Abstract

Background Anaemia is a public health concern affecting both developed and developing countries with significant consequences for both human health as well as social and economic development. Unfortunately, the anaemia intervention program, such as the National Nutrition Anaemia Prophylaxis Programme, mostly targets infants, young children, pregnant and lactation women, and not adolescents. Therefore, this study tries to fill this gap, aimed to study the prevalence of anaemia and the associated factors among adolescent boys and girls residing in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India. Methods Secondary data analysis was performed on cross-sectional survey data from the Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults (UDAYA) project survey. Three levels of severity of anaemia were distinguished: mild anaemia, moderate anaemia, and severe anaemia. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were used to find the preliminary results. To provide the adjusted estimates for the analysis, multinomial regression analysis was carried out. Results Overall, a higher percentage of adolescent girls suffered from mild (42% vs. 23.7%) and moderate/severe (20% vs. 8.7%) anemia compared to the adolescent boys. Moderate/severe anemia was 0.24 and 0.49 times less likely among adolescent boys and girls, respectively, who had 10 & above years of schooling than adolescents with no schooling (p < 0.01). Rural adolescent boys were 1.22 (p < 0.10) and 1.49 times (p < 0.05) more likely to suffer from mild and moderate/severe anemia, respectively, compared to urban counterparts. Conclusion Anaemia among adolescents must be addressed through effective public health policy targeting adolescents residing in poor households and rural areas. There is a need to disseminate information about anaemia through mass media, and subsequently, the public health system may be prepared to tailor the needs of adolescent boys and girls.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Iron Deficiency Anemia among the Tribal Residential Adolescent School Students of Odisha: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…We found that the prevalence of anemia was 37.3%, which is lower than similar studies conducted in other parts of the country. [ 8 , 11 – 13 ] However, several other studies conducted among the general adolescent population in the country, especially in the rural areas show a wide variation in the prevalence of anemia. [ 5 , 6 , 16 , 22 , 23 ] Although there has been controversies regarding the cut-off used to define anemia,[ 24 ] and there are methodological differences in estimation exist, still anemia remains as a significant public health challenge despite the rolling of several sponsored programs.…”

“…[ 10 ] Several studies have documented high prevalence of anemia among tribal adolescents. [ 8 , 11 – 13 ] Odisha is one among the top few states in the country with a large (23%) and highest varieties of tribal population. [ 14 ]…”