Impact of an Intervention Package for Preventing Anemia Among Adolescent Girls in Selected High Schools of Bangalore District
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26463/rjns.15_1_4Keywords:
Adolescent, Anemia, Socioeconomic status, PreventionAbstract
Background: Anemia is the deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin leading to reduced oxygen transport in the body. It is a significant public health concern, particularly among adolescent girls, due to their increased iron needs during menstruation, periods of growth and pregnancy.
Objective: The study was conducted to assess the levels of knowledge among adolescent girls regarding the prevention of anemia in selected high schools in Bengaluru district.
Methods: A quasi experimental approach with pretest - posttest design was adopted. Forty adolescent girls were selected through convenient sampling method using non-probability sampling approach.
Result: During the initial assessment, in the experimental group, 13 (65%) adolescent girls had inadequate knowledge, while remaining 7 (35%) had moderate knowledge. In the control group, 16 (80%) adolescent girls had inadequate knowledge and 4 (20%) had moderate knowledge. In the experimental group, the pretest mean knowledge score regarding anemia prevention was 11.1 (30.8%), while the posttest mean score was 14.38 (58%), resulting in an improvement with an average enhancement score of 10.2 (28.3%). The study found a significant enhancement in the post-intervention knowledge levels regarding prevention of anemia among adolescent girls in the experimental group, at a 5% level of significance.
Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that the intervention was effective in bringing about improvement in knowledge of anemia of the participants in the experimental group. A significant enhancement in knowledge was noticed in the intervention group compared to the control group, highlighting the efficacy of a holistic approach to anemia prevention.
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