Urvashi Rana, Shruti Jain* and Kiran Bains

Department of Food and Nutrition, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

*Corresponding Author: Shruti Jain; Department of Food and Nutrition, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.

Received: July 03, 2025; Published: July 22, 2025

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a major public health problem in India affecting developing countries with devastating consequences for human health and socio-economic development. Therefore a study was planned to assess iron status among women of low and lower middle income households and to determine blood hemoglobin level of adult women from two age groups i.e. 15-30 y and 31-45y (50:50) from Balachaur town of district Nawanshahr, Punjab. Information regarding dietary pattern, menstrual cycle, food intake and food consumption frequency of the selected subjects and blood haemoglobin level of the subjects was assessed. Blood iron status was slightly better in younger group in terms of higher MCV and MCH (p = 0.098 and 0.071). Higher intake of polyphenols from tea consumption in the subjects was significantly but negatively (p = -0.208, -0.195 and -0.211) correlated with blood hemoglobin, PCV and MCHC of the subjects. Higher intake of phytates was associated with lower MCHC (r = -0.210). Unsatisfactory iron status in women of reproductive age group is the primary factor of iron deficiency anaemia. Iron status of women (15-45y) from low and lower middle-income households was inadequate due to poor diet quality, and iron-deficiency anaemia is a more serious problem among women of reproductive age. Food fortification can be a beneficial approach because it is a long-term and cost-effective strategy, and governments should prioritize iron supplementation for all women of reproductive age.

Keywords: Ascorbic Acid; Hemoglobin; Iron deficiency Anaemia; Fortification; Polyphenols; Phytates

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Citation

Citation: Shruti Jain., et al. “Assessment of Iron Status among Women of Low and Lower Middle Income Households".Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 9.8 (2025): 61-69.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Shruti Jain., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.