Impact of Counseling and Nutritional Support to Reduce Anemia among Adult Female - An Interventional Study Conducted in Urban Slums of Mumbai

Background- Anemia is one of the most widespread health conditions in India women of reproductive age. This situation is easily preventable by screening for Hemoglobin content in blood and providing nutritional supplement and counseling. Objective- To assess the impact of counseling and nutritional support to reduce anemia among adult females of Urban slum and resettlement areas of Mumbai City. Methodology-A Pre � Post interventional study was carried out in slum and resettlement colonies of M-East Ward, Mumbai. A validated questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographic characters. For interpretation of anemia, cut-off point for hemoglobin level was less than 12g/ dl. Of the 3004 women screened for anemia, 1473 women followed-up after 3 months. . Result- Among 3004 women, 2683 were found to be anemic in age-group of 31-35 years (36.8 %) followed by 21-25 years (22.6 %). Of the 2683 women diagnosed as anemic as per W. H. O criteria, 50.1 % suffered from moderate anemia; 39.69 % from mild anemia and 8.6 % from severe anemia. After intervention, 20 % women showed improvement in Hemoglobin count. Conclusion- A model of continuous counseling and nutritional support may be helpful in alleviating complications arising due to anemia in women of reproductive age.