DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i04.005

Pages: 1641-1644

Anaemia is a global health challenge, and India is no exception. Large number of studies including NFHS-3 have quantified the prevalence of anaemia among children, adolescents, women in reproductive age group, pregnant & lactating mothers and men in age groups below 50 years. However, there is lack of studies among elderly population. This study was conducted in rural areas of Nalgonda district to detect the prevalence of anaemia among elderly. 633 individuals (342 males: 291 Females) above the age of 50 years were included in the study through two stage random sampling. Haemoglobin levels were detected by Sahli technique. The data was analysed using statistical software OpenEpi version 3.03a. The study revealed that based on WHO definition of anaemia, 29.86% of study population was anaemic. The prevalence of anaemia was significantly higher among females than males. In both sexes the prevalence of anaemia increased with advancing age, although this trend was statistically significant only among males. The study identified that anaemia is an significant public health problem among elderly. The authors recommend that larger studies should be conducted to identify the prevalence of anaemia among elderly, as well as to identify type of anaemia and cause(s) of anaemia among our senior citizens to provide baseline data for planning appropriate interventional programme.