Anaemia cases rise across age groups in Gujarat in 5 years

AHMEDABAD: The prevalence of anaemia among children in the state increased from 62.6% to 79.7% in five years, a comparison of the latest and the previous National Family Health Survey (NFHS) reports reveal. Cases of severe anaemia increased from 1.7% to 3.1%.
The NFHS-5 report indicated that anaemia cases increased even among adult women and men in the said time span. Among women, it increased from 54.9% to 65%, whereas among men, it rose from 21.7% to 26.6%.
Anaemia is identified as a condition where blood lacks healthy red blood cells which can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath, faster heartbeats and occasional dizziness. Doctors often prescribe iron, vitamin B12 and other vitamin supplements to treat the condition.
Associated with the issue of balanced diet, the survey had also asked the respondents about their daily food intake. In Gujarat, 94% of those surveyed said that they ate leafy vegetables at least once a week, 92.2% had pulses or beans, 85.1% included milk or curd in their diet, and 20.6% ate fish, chicken or meat. The state’s weekly fruit consumption was 39.8%, less than the national average of 56.1%.
The survey also analyzed the body mass index (BMI) of men and women to ascertain optimal, under and over weights. According to the survey, six out of every 10 men and 5 out of every 10 women in the state had their weights in optimal range. Among women, obesity remained almost the same —against 6.9% obese women in last survey, it was 7.1% in the latest one. The percentage of obese men increased slightly from 3.8% to 4.4%.
City-based physicians said that since 2020, the number of people with obesity surpassed the numbers shown in the survey.
“The pandemic changed the diet of a majority of the population. Near-sedentary lifestyle during the lockdowns and higher food intake resulted in people gaining weight. Many managed to lose weight, but obesity has remained an issue associated with unhealthy diet and lack of regular exercise,” said Dr Pragnesh Vachharajani, a city-based physician.