Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia among Adolescents Intermediate School Pupils in Ramadi District

Abstract

Objective: To find out the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) among adolescents intermediate school pupils.Subjects & Methods: A study was carried out on 520 (320 boys and 200 girls) intermediate school pupils. Boys of less than 15 years old and girls were characterized anemic if their packed cell volume (PCV) were < 36% , and < 39 in boys of 15 years old or above. Iron deficiency anemia was considered if anemic pupil shows TS < 5% or SF < 15% when TS were 5% or above.Results: The prevalence of IDA was found to be 20.35%, with a higher prevalence in girls than in boys. It is mostly noticed at age of 15 in girls and 17 in boys. IDA was diagnosed by TS > 5% in 56.19% pupils and low SF in 43.81%.Conclusion: This study clarified that IDA is a health problem of moderate severity among adolescent intermediate school pupils in Ramadi district. To overcome this health problem we recommend to detect and treat the anemic pupils in addition to ensure them about the iron rich diet are important measures.Key Words: Anemia, Iron deficiency, prevalence of iron deficiency anemia, adolescent, intermediate school pupil, Ramadi.