• Gandham Bulliyy, Gitanjali Mallick, Girija Sankar Sethy, and Santanu Kumar Kar.
• Regional Medical Research Centre, Indian Council of Medical Research, Bhubaneswar, India. bulliyyag@rediffmail.com
• Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2007 Oct 1; 19 (4): 395-406.

UnlabelledAnemia is a major public health problem in young children and pregnant women in SouthEast Asia, but a paucity of data on anemia in adolescent girls in India. Studies are lacking on the entire non-school going adolescent population.ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of anemia in non-school going adolescent girls and the association between hemoglobin (Hb) concentration and socioeconomic and nutritional factors.Study GroupA cross-sectional community study conducted on a sample of 1937 healthy adolescent girls aged 11-19 years from three districts of Orissa, India.MethodsSample size was determined using a probability proportionate to size cluster sampling. The adolescent girls were interviewed and anthropometric measurements were collected. The Hb estimation was carried out in capillary blood samples using the cyanmethemoglobin method. Anemia and nutritional status were evaluated according to standard procedures.ResultsThe mean Hb concentration was 9.7 +/- 1.4 g/dL (range, 4.5-13.4 g/dL). Of the total adolescent girls, 1869 (96.5%) were anemic (Hb < 12.0 g/dL), of which, 45.2%, 46.9% and 4.4% had mild, moderate, and severe anemia, respectively. A significant curvilinear relation was found between Hb concentration and age, with the nadir of the curve occurring in the 12-14 years age group. Girls from Bargarh district had significantly lower mean Hb levels than those from the Jajpur and Khurda districts. Significant positive associations were found between Hb concentration and pre-menarche, community, education levels of girls and their parents' family income, body mass index, and mid-upper arm circumference. This study revealed that prevalence of anemia was extremely high in non-school going adolescent girls (most were moderately anemic) and stressed the need for more research and public health interventions.

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