A Community based Study of Anaemia Burden using Hemocue 201 in Eastern India

Validity of point-of-care device for diagnosing anemia in workers exposed to lead

Detecting anemia in occupational health settings is critical in a high-risk population for anemia like the lead-exposed. Whether the point-of-care devices are sensitive to detect anemia in individuals with high levels of lead exposure is unknown. We compared hemoglobin (Hb) levels from HemoCue® Hb 301 System and standard analyzer, Mindrey-BC 5300, in individuals (n=58) exposed to lead (mean levels = 44.9 ?g/dL) for a chronic period (mean duration of exposure = 105 months). We observed high sensitivity (0.95), specificity(0.95) in detecting anemia by hemocue, and high agreement between the methods. The significant difference in Hb values between the methods (0.171g/dL, p=0.018) was clinically minimal. We conclude that hemocue is a good method for rapidly detecting anemia and estimating Hb levels among the lead-exposed in resource-limited settings.

Prevalence and Correlates of Anemia among Adolescents Living in Hodeida, Yemen

This study assesses the prevalence and correlates of anemia among adolescents living in the war-affected region of Hodeida in Yemen. A secondary objective was to examine the effect of a nutrition education intervention on hemoglobin levels among anemic adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample of adolescents aged 15–19 years in Hodeida (n = 400). A questionnaire was administered to inquire about demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and clinical characteristics. Capillary blood was obtained, anthropometric characteristics were measured and stool samples were collected. As for the secondary objective, anemic adolescents were randomly assigned to an intervention group (nutrition education and iron supplementation) and a control group (iron supplements only). The prevalence of anemia was 37.8%. Female gender, khat chewing, excessive menstruation, and experiencing headaches, fatigue, or dizziness were independent predictors of anemia. In contrast, adolescents who attended private schools, and reported snack consumption or handwashing had a significantly lower risk of anemia. A sample of 116 adolescents participated in the intervention (3 months). Hemoglobin levels were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the control. Our findings contribute to the identification of high-risk groups that should be targeted by context-specific interventions. The implemented multicomponent intervention may serve as a prototype for larger-scale preventive programs.