A high prevalence of anaemia in pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women has been found in Chandigarh. The findings of district-level household and facility survey-4 (DlHS-4) have showed that more than 50 per cent pre-school children surveyed in Chandigarh are anaemic.
According to the DlHS-4 conducted during the year 2012-13, 57.6 per cent children (6-59 months) have anaemia while 5.9 per cent have severe anaemia. 47.9 per cent male children (6-9 years age) and 57.6 per cent female are anaemic.
The report pointed out the prevalence of anaemia is higher in rural areas compared to urban areas. 70 per cent of children (6-59 months) living in rural Chandigarh and 54 per cent children aged 6-59 months in urban areas of the city are suffering from anaemia. The percentage of girls suffering from anaemic is much higher than boys.
44.6 per cent adolescents (15-19 age), 47.7 per cent women (15-49 age), 40.4 per cent of persons above 20 years of age are found to be anaemic. Also, 47.7 per cent pregnant women have anaemia while 2.1 per cent have severe anaemia.
As per the DlHS-4, 31.4 per cent people above 18 years of age were reported to have hypertension (above normal range). On child immunisation front, 85.8 per cent children (12-23 months) received full vaccination while 1.4 did not receive any vaccination.
In prevalence of chronic illness, disease of respiratory system is reported in 14.7 per cent people and 12.3 per cent reported to have disease of cardiovascular system.
The survey has pointed out that 36.3 per cent men (above 15 years of age) and 1 per cent women consume alcohol while 13.8 per cent men and 0.3 per cent women out of total surveyed people in Chandigarh are smokers. 40.7 per cent men in rural areas and 34.9 per cent in urban areas are alcohol consumers.
In terms of women awareness about diarrhea, the city scored 92.6 per cent in DlHS-4, lower than DlHS-3 which had registered 100 per cent score. About awareness of acute respiratory infection in women, the city scored 88.1 per cent, again lower than 98.9 per cent recorded in DlHS-3.
In DlHS-3, the Union Territory of Chandigarh had registered a score of hundred in women awareness of the danger of diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection (ARI) and providing treatment to all children suffering from ARI or fever.
The District-level Household and Facility Survey 4 is the fourth in the series of district-level surveys conducted by the Union Health Ministry. The last DlHS-3 was carried out in 2007-08.
DlHS-4 was conducted in the union territory of Chandigarh during May to June 2013, gathering information from 1,340 households, 1,138 ever married women and also from 26 health facilities in Chandigarh. The International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) was the nodal agency to carry out the survey.
Dr Aswini Kumar Nanda, Professor, Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID—monitoring institute during the survey) said, “The prevalence of anaemia is found in large number of city residents during the survey.”
“A large number of pre-school children, adolescents and pregnant women are found to be anaemic, as per DlHS-4. The alcohol consumption was also higher in the city, he added.