Rural Adolescents and Anemia: Exploring the Role of Deworming
Author Information
Author(s): Muacevic Alexander, Adler John R, Chaudhary Rakshit, Kumar Sanjeev, Jain Seema, Singh Ganesh, Gautam Neelam S, Singh Deepika
Primary Institution: Department of Community Medicine, LLRM Medical College, Meerut, IND
Hypothesis
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anemia in the adolescent age group, its relation to gender, and the role of deworming tablets in the prevention of anemia.
Conclusion
Deworming alone is not effective in the prevention of anemia.
Supporting Evidence
- The overall prevalence of anemia was 102 (60.0%).
- There was a higher prevalence among females (n=75, 68.2%) compared to males (n=27, 45.0%).
- Moderate anemia was the most common entity, affecting 69 (67.6%) participants.
- Among individuals who had consumed deworming tablets in the last six months, 65 (59.1%) had anemia.
Takeaway
This study looked at how many teenagers in a rural area have anemia and whether taking deworming medicine helps prevent it. It found that many teens are anemic, especially girls, and taking deworming medicine doesn't really help.
Methodology
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural area of Meerut district, involving adolescent beneficiaries of the Anemia Mukt Bharat program, with hemoglobin evaluation performed using a TrueHb hemoglobinometer.
Limitations
The study had a relatively smaller sample size, which may make generalizing the results to the broader population challenging.
Participant Demographics
Of the 170 respondents, 60 (35.3%) were males and 110 (64.7%) were females.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.0032
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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