ABSTRACT

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common nutritional disorder worldwide and possesses a major threat among females. This cross sectional study was conducted to estimate the frequency of IDA among the female students of Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan (AWKUM). Blood samples were collected from 50 female students (aged 19-25 years) of different departments’ belonging to different socioeconomic status. Hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were used to determine the prevalence and classify anemia according to RBC indices and disease severity. Hemoglobin level of all 50 students was measured by using hematology analyzer during November– March 2016. In this study, 10% female students were found mild anemic having hemoglobin level below 10 g/dL while 40% students had Hb level around 13.5 g/dL which is normal status and 50% students had hemoglobin level in the range of 11-12 g/dL which is moderate level. BMI revealed that 80% students were normal, 10% were found underweight and 5% females were obese but the hemoglobin level of underweight students was normal. Regular breakfast taking habit showed significant (p = 0.035, 95% CI 0.1-0.3) influence on IDA compared to non-regular breakfast takers. Our study revealed that the 10% of university female students, were mild anemic by irregular food habits, intracellular infections, inflammations and lack of awareness. Anemia can be prevented by providing proper knowledge on healthful diet which will be fruitful to prevent IDA. Keywords: IDA, iron deficiency anemia, HCT, hematocrit, MCV, mean cell volume, MCH, mean cell hemoglobin

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2018/March/1519919991MS IJBPAS 2018 4380.pdf

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