Prevalence of Anemia Among Elderly Population Residing in an Urban Area of West Bengal: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Analytical Study

CONTEXT: India is experiencing a rapid increase in the elderly population (aged 60 years and above) compared to the last decade. The multifactorial condition of anemia grossly influences the health-related quality of life and mortality in this age group. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among older adults residing in an urban area of West Bengal, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The community-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in Kalyani Municipality, West Bengal, from March to April 2021. A simple random sampling technique was adopted to select study participants. Hemoglobin (Hb) was measured using a digital hemoglobinometer (HemoCue301), and data were collected using EpiCollect5 software. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of 457 participants was 68.9 (7.3) years with 52.1% (n = 238) being males, 71.9% (n = 329) graduates, and 64.3% (n = 294) currently married. The prevalence of anemia was 65% (95% CI: 60.4–69.3). The prevalence of mild (Hb 11–11.9 gm/dL in females and 11–12.9 gm/dL in males), moderate (Hb 8–10.9 gm/dL), and severe anemia (Hb <8 gm/dL) was 41.6%, 22.8% and 0.7%, respectively. Anemia was significantly associated with age group (P < 0.01) and sex (P < 0.01), with the highest prevalence in the 80 years and above age category (85.2%) and in females (71.2%). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anemia is very high in older adults. There is an urgent need to include the elderly age group in the existing health programme for anemia, i.e., Anemia Mukt Bharat.