A descriptive study of myriad risk factors in anemia of varied severity among reproductive female patients visiting a tertiary care setup in coastal Karnataka

Introduction and Aim: Anemia is common among women within childbearing age. The present study was undertaken to analyze the burden ofsocio-demographic status, lifestyle determinants, menstrual parameters, and obstetric factors as risk factors among mild, moderate, and severe types of anaemic women of childbearing age and to assess their knowledge about it.   Methods: A cross-sectional study was done among 79 anemic women visiting a private medical college hospital in Karnataka. The study group was categorized into mild, moderate, and severe anemia based on the WHO criteria of haemoglobin concentration. Participants answered a validated and pretested questionnaire on their socio-demographic status, lifestyle characteristics, menstrual and obstetric history, and their knowledge regarding anemia.   Results: Descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis. The prevalence of mild and moderate anemia in the rural setup was higher compared to urban living. Most of the participants with mild to moderate anemia had education up to primary schooling and were married homemakers. Participants with moderate to severe anemia belonged to the below poverty line status. There was a higher intake of white meat among moderate anemic participants compared to the other groups.Majority of the participants with mild to moderate anemia suffered from dysmenorrhoea. Only 51% of the participants knew that anemia is a health problem and most of the participants were ignorant of the features of anemia.   Conclusion: We conclude that moderately anemic participants mostly belonged to rural areas, were less literate, belonging to lower economic strata, consuming white meat and junk food.