Abstract:

OBJECTIVE

Effect of Dietary diversity and other intervention in prevalence and determinants of anaemia amongst tea tribe adolescent girls.

DESIGN

A community based before after intervention study was conducted covering 16 tea estates of Dibrugarh District, Assam.

PROCEDURE

Variables includes socio-demographic, environmental, anthropometry, history of present and past illness, clinical examination and laboratory investigation including haemoglobin, serum ferritin, haemoglobin typing and routine stool examination and dietary survey using 24 hour recall method and food frequency questionnaire. Interventions given were dietary diversification, health promotion by monthly NHED, cooking demonstration, cooking competition and kitchen garden promotion and counselling to improve IFA compliance and remove barriers and directly observed weekly IFA supplementation. SPSS and EpiInfo software, used to calculate of rates, ratios, chi-square test, Fisher Exact test and multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Enrolments were 802, with mean age, 14.8 years. Anaemia prevalence was 96.3% with median serum ferritin, 22.9 ng/ml. Prevalence of Sickle cell anaemia was,12% and helminthiasis 84.20%, night blindness (5.6%), weakness (62.1%), loss of appetite (37.5%), gum bleeding (23.6%), loose motion (13%), loss of weight (9.9%), menstrual problem (19.3%) was common. Following intervention mean haemoglobin difference was 1.48 gm/dl with 13.5% difference in prevalence. Significant association found with worm infestation, lower serum ferritin, insanitary water-sanitation facility and extra salt use, indicating infection, infestation and iron deficiency as major cause of anaemia. Dietary diversification found effective.

CONCLUSIONS

High anaemia prevalence requires urgent attention. Implementation of different intervention in an integrated manner was found effective.

KEYWORDS

Dietary diversification, Anaemia, tea tribe, adolescent girls, Iron folic acid supplementation (IFA), Assam.

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