Background Anemia continues to be a major public health problem in India despite multiple initiatives to address it among various vulnerable groups including adolescents. Aim This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of anemia among rural adolescent girls who had attained menarche. Methods The community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 28 villages of Ballabgarh Block of district Faridabad, Haryana. From the computerized Health Management Information System data (HMIS), a random list of 363 adolescent girls was generated. Adolescent girls who had attained menarche were included in the study. Hemoglobin level was measured for all the consented or assented participants using a digital hemoglobinometer (HemoCue201+ photometer, HemoCue AB, Angelholm, Sweden). Results A total of 272 participants were enrolled in the study. Mean (SD) age at menarche was 13.2 (1.2) years. Prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls who had attained menarche was observed to be 71.7% (95% CI: 66.3 - 77.1) as per the WHO classification. Among the 195 anemic adolescent girls, severe, moderate, and mild anemia was observed in 4.8%, 41.2%, and 25.7%, respectively. In multivariable analysis, after adjusting for the age, the mother's education was significantly associated with anemia (Adjusted Odds Ratio = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.22 - 0.96, p-value = 0.04). Conclusion The prevalence of anemia among rural adolescent girls who had attained menarche was high. Mother's education status had a protective effect on anemia among adolescent girls.
Keywords: adolescent girls; anemia; menarche; prevalence; rural.
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