A Public Health Relevance for Anaemia Among Adolescent Girls and Associated Risk Factors

Abstract

Anaemia is characterised by a lower-than-normal amount of haemoglobin (Hb) in the body, which lowers oxygen-carrying ability. Anaemia can happen at any stage of life, although it is more common in young children, pregnant women, and adolescents. For a number of reasons, teenage girls are the most vulnerable group. Anaemia can be predicted by a number of variables, which can result in a variety of adverse outcomes. The goal of this review was to evaluate the factors that adolescents develop anaemia. Articles were retrieved from many databases, including PubMed, World Bank, Google Scholar, and WHO databases, to conduct a review. Relevant papers were discovered in several databases using the text keywords and phrases "anaemia," "prevalence and determinants of anaemia," "adolescent girls," "risk factors for anaemia," "iron deficiency anaemia," "nutritional deficiency," "meal pattern," "dairy products," and "menstrual flow." We identified a number of socio-cultural determinants, including female gender, age, early marriage, poor household income and family size. The existence of additional physiological parameters, such as menstrual cycle duration, and sanitary pad use was also demonstrated. Skip meals behaviour, eat less often, and drink tea are the main dietary variables that cause anaemia. Fatigue, poor mental health, low academic achievement, lower exercise capacity, developmental delays are just a few of the negative effects of anaemia. Adolescent anaemia is more prevalent in Sindh than in other Pakistani regions. One of the major public health issues in emerging nations is anaemia, which particularly impacts South Asian populations. Anaemia can result in a number of negative consequences that can be avoided. Starting a food fortification programme, educating teenagers in schools and the general public about the benefits of dietary diversity, fortification, usage of fruits and vegetables, animal-based food, and increasing physical activity are all part of the ideal strategy for reducing anaemia in teenagers.