Knowledge, attitude and practices of iron deficient and iron deficient anaemic adolescents in the Gaza strip, Palestine

Abstract

Background: Lack of knowledge concerning nutrition is one of the most significant reasons for nutritional problems and consequently, inappropriate nutritional practices can lead to numerous complications. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the nutritional knowledge, attitude and practices regarding Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) among female adolescents. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 330 female adolescents aged between 15-19 years from five schools in five governorates in the Gaza Strip, Palestine were screened from September, 2015 to March, 2016. One hundred and thirty three iron deficient and iron deficient anaemic female adolescents were identified based on their complete blood count and serum ferritin levels using haemoglobin cut-offs at 12.0 g dL-1 and serum ferritin cut-offs at 15 mg L-1. The mean age of the iron deficient and iron deficient anaemic female adolescents was 16.41 years. Results: The results indicated that 84% of the adolescents could not tell if a person was having anaemia. About 81.3% of them were not aware of the consequences of IDA among pregnant women and 91.6% had no knowledge of the causes of IDA. Also, 89% did not know which iron-rich foods can be easily absorbed, while 74.8% did not know which foods reduce iron absorption. Furthermore, 81.7% of the adolescents usually consumed citrus fruits and 68% of them did not consume them on a daily basis. At the same time, 81.7% of the adolescents usually consumed tea and coffee, while 43.5% of them consumed these beverages daily. Also, 43.5% of the adolescents regarded anaemia as serious conditions, while 56.5% of them did not consider anaemia to be a serious condition or were unsure. In addition, 45.0% of the adolescents liked the taste of iron-rich food items. Conclusion: Most female adolescents have poor knowledge regarding anaemia, its causes, prevention and management. Nutrition education intervention should be implemented.