Iron Deficiency Anaemia: Its Prevalence Among Women of Reproductive Age in Shanghai and Tokyo and Links to Body Mass Index

In this study, we examined the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) among young women between the ages of 20-44 living in Shanghai, China, and Tokyo, Japan with a particular emphasis on investigating its possible links with body mass index (BMI). Shanghai data were obtained from annual health check-up records conducted between May and September 2016 (n=2,006). Tokyo data were from health examinations of employees working in dispensing pharmacies between July and February 2017 (n=877). Anaemia prevalence was found to be 14.8% and 11.4% in Shanghai and Tokyo, respectively. The proportion of women with a BMI of <18.5 was 9.9% in Shanghai and 25.7% in Tokyo. Anaemia prevalence tends to be high in women with a low BMI. Women with a BMI of <18.5 had the highest prevalence of anaemia (18.2%) in Shanghai. Yet, the prevalence of anaemia was low (9.3%) among Tokyo women with a BMI of <18.5, significantly lower than those with a BMI between 18.5-25.0 (12.5%). IDA is a significant problem among women in both Shanghai and Tokyo, where the ‘desire for thinness” is commonplace among young women. The Tokyo participants with a low BMI, however, appear to have managed to avoid developing IDA.