PREVALENCE OF ANEMIA AMONG TWO INDEPENDENT GROUPS OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS-PRE MENARCHE AND POST MENARCHE

Abstract

Back ground:  Anemia is a serious health issue for women and young children. It is ignored in most developing countries even though it is one of the most prevalent public health problems and has serious consequences for national development.

Aims and objectives: 1) To find out the prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls of 10-15 years of age. 2) To compare the anemic status between pre menarcheal and post menarcheal girls. 3) To correlate the findings with socio-demographic variables.

Materials and methods: 500 girls of 10- 15 years were selected from Government girls’ higher secondary school, Chidambaram. Details regarding socio-demographic variables and menstruation were collected using pre tested proforma and haemoglobin was measured by cyanmethemoglobin method.

Results: Prevalence of anemia was found to be 58%. 73.9% of the post-menarcheal girls were anemic. There is a statistical association between haemoglobin and age, personal hygiene, body mass index and menarcheal status.

Conclusion:  Higher prevalence of anemia among post menarche can be explained by the fact that menstrual blood loss is a significant parameter of anemia.

Key words: adolescents, anemia, menarche, Body Mass Index.