Estimate the prevalence of anemia among unmarried female college students attending nursing college and influence of socio-economicdemographic factors.

Abstract

Introduction: Anemia remains a public health challenge worldwide. Anemia is the most common disorder of blood in the world. According to a survey conducted by NFHS, the prevalence of anemia in young girls aged between 15-24 years is 56% with higher rates in rural than in urban India. Little is known about anemia among college female students. Aim: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of anemia among unmarried female college students attending nursing college and influence of socioeconomic demographic factors. Methodology: Through convenient sampling 320 nursing students studying at Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Nursing were selected. Hb estimation was done using Sahli's method. Baseline information was collected from study subjects through self structured questionnaire. Results: It was found that as many as 94% of the female nursing students were suffering from anemia. In regard to severity of anemia, approximately half (51.3%) were having moderate anemia while (45.3%) were suffering from mild anemia. Only few (3.3%) were suffering from severe anemia. Anemia was quite prevalent among B.Sc (96.2%) as well as GNM (92.5%) students. The study also depicted the association between prevalence of anemia with selected variables. Chi square was computed. Association of anemia was found statistically significant with H/O chronic disease and irregularity in the menstrual cycle among the study subjects. Conclusion: Considering the results, it was concluded that anemia is very much prevalent among the nursing students. Thus the investigators recommended the frequent screening of students for presence of anemia and effective services to reduce its prevalence among young adult females.