PREVALENCE OF ANAEMIA AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN SELECTED RURAL COMMUNITIES OF DISTRICT AMRITSAR, PUNJAB.

Background: Adolescence is a ?coming of age?, as children grow into young adults. This teen age is a period of intense growth, not only physically, but also mentally and socially. Because of this rapid growth, adolescents are especially vulnerable to anaemia. It is a long standing problem in India and the country has a high prevalence of anaemia among adolescents. Material and method: An epidemiological study to assess the prevalence of anaemia among adolescents in selected rural communities of district Amritsar, Punjab. There were 300 adolescents(age 13-18years) selected by convenience sampling. The research instrument was consisted three parts; part-A socio-demographic profile, Part-B Hb check by Sahil?s method and Part-C Semi structured interview. Results: A total of 300 adolescents went under gone Hb check up by Sahil?s method. The study reveals that the prevalence of anaemia among adolescents i.e.73.7% mentioned moderate anaemia, followed by 20.3% were mild anaemia and 2% belonged to severe anaemia. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study showed that there was significant association between age, gender, education status of father and mother, family income, dietary pattern, junk food, intake of fruits. Hence it can be inferred that there is a need for enhancement of knowledge of adolescents regarding healthy life style to prevent anaemia by means of pamphlets so as to improve and maintain the health status of adolescents and prevent the occurrence of anaemia.