A cross sectional study of anemia among adolescent girls in a Women’s College in Bagalkot, Karnataka

Introduction: Adolescence is a journey from the world of the child to the world of the adult. Adolescence is very important since it is the time in life when major physical, psychological and behavioral changes take place. Anemia among adolescent girls is a major public health problem. Objective: To assess anemia by Haemoglobin status in adolescent girls studying in Akkamahadevi women's Arts and Science College, Bagalkot. Materials and Method: A Cross Sectional Study was done among adolescent girls studying in Akkamaha Devi Women's Arts and Science College, Bagalkot from October-November 2016 which is situated near the urban health training centre of S.N Medical College, Bagalkot. Universal sampling was considered as we included all the new admissions of 2016 i.e. 144. After taking informed consent adolescent girls were assessed for anemia by Hb status and anthropometric measurements. Data compiled and tabulated by using MS EXCEL and analysed, using percentages and chi square test. Result: Anemia was observed in 89% of adolescent girls. Among them 23% had mild anemia, 63% had moderate and 3% had severe anemia. Adolescent girls from rural areas attending college had more thinness i.e. 22.8% compared to urban girls (5.6%) whereas severe thinness was observed more in urban girls(13.5%) than rural girls(4.3%) which was statistically significant(p<0.009). Conclusion: The study revealed that majority of the adolescent girls had anemia. Hence early diagnosis of anemia is needed so that prompt interventions can be done in the way of health education and supplementation.