Prevalence of Anemia among Tribal Women of Reproductive Age in Udupi Taluk, Karnataka

CONTEXT: Anaemia is a major public health problem in India. Many studies have emphasized on prevalence of anaemia among general population. This study has focussed to address the prevalence of anaemia among the tribal population in Udupi taluk. Anaemia among women in the reproductive age group is one of the causes for maternal morbidity and mortality in India. AIM: To estimate the prevalence of anemia among tribal women (aged 15 to 49 years). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A Community based cross sectional study was conducted among tribal women aged 14-49 years in Udupi taluk, Udupi district, Karnataka. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A cross sectional study during July 2012 to August 2012 was conducted. A sample size of 170 was calculated taking into consideration a relative error of 15% and the prevalence of anemia in Karnataka as 51% (as per the NFHS-3). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Univariate and multivariate analysis was used to analyse the data using SPSS 15. RESULTS: The study sample had a mean hemoglobin value of 11.3 g/dL with 95% CI of (11 – 11.6), with a standard deviation of 2g/dL. The study reveals that in the sample of tribal women in the age group of 15-49 years, the prevalence of anemia was 55.9%. Among the subjects, 6 (3.5%) were severely anemic, 33 (19.4%) were moderately anemic and 56 (32.9%) were mildly anemic. CONCLUSIONS: This study calls for an appropriate action and intervention in this tribal population to treat and prevent anaemia.