All issues > Volume 33(8); 1990

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1990;33(8):1087-1096. Published online August 31, 1990.

Prevalence Study of Anemia among Urban and Rural Middle School Girl Students.

Jeong Ok Hah¹, Mi Hwa Kang¹, Jeung Ho Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University Taegu, Korea

Received: February 23, 1990;  Accepted: May 30, 1990.

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence rate of anemia and iron deficiency in pubertal girls in urban and rural areas. Venous peripheral blood was sampled from 346 girls who were randomly selected from 1,900 students of one girls’ middle school in Taegu city and all of 311 girls attending two middle schools in rural area, one in Cheungdo county and, another in Kyungsan County in Kyungpook Province. RBC, hemoglobin, hematocrit, RBC indices, RDW and platelet count were measured by electronic coulter counter, serum ferritin level was measured by enzyme immunoassay, (Ferrizyme test) and morphologic examination of RBC was done on peripheral blood smear. A questionnaire was administered to obtain the menstrual history. Data for the school performance of students and educational level of their parents were obtained from the school record. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin level of 11.5 gm/dl or less and iron deficiency anemia was defined as anemia with either MCV of 78斤 or less or serum ferritin level of 10/2g/L or less. In urban area, the prevalence rate of anemia was 7.2% which increased with age significantly (p< 0.05); 3.6% in 12years, 5.4% in 13years and 12.0% in 14years of age, and all of these amemias were iron deficiency anemia. In rural area, the prevalence rate was 20.3% (20.3% in 12years, 14.6% in 13years and 25.9% in 14years of age). Among these anemias, 13.2%were found to be iron deficiency anemia and 7.1% were non-iron deficiency anemia. Although chronic infection or inflammatory diseases were suspected for the causes of non-iron deficiency anemia, diagnostic work up was warranted to uncover the etiology. Iron depleted status without anemia was found in 26.0% of study population in both urban and rural areas. The prevalence rate of iron deficiency anemia was higher among the students with regular menstruation (9.3% in urban, 22.4% in rural) than those students who did not have menarche (3.8% in urban, 8.3% in rural) (p<0.05). The school performance and the prevalence rate of iron deficiency anemia showed a weak inverse correlation with school performance which did not reach 5% statis- tical significance level. However, it showed a significant inverse correlation (p<0.005) with parents, educational level. It is recommended to enforce the nutritional education to take enough iron in early adolescence to reduce the high prevalence rate of anemia among pubertal girl students.

Keywords :Prevalence rate, Anemia, Iron Deficiency