Lifestyles characteristics and prevalence of anaemia among men living in deprived community, Ghana

Abstract

Anaemia is a reduction in circulating red blood cells which directly affect the concentrations of haemoglobin. The most common form dietary anaemia is known to be iron deficiency. Many factors such as socioeconomic status, and lifestyles contribute to anaemia. Studies are done on children and women but scanty information aree available on men. It was relevant to find out such information on men. This problem persists in the world especially, in the underdeveloped countries. A cross-sectional study in a peri urban community in Ghana enrolled 1449 healthy men aged ≥18 years. The study assessed their lifestyle, nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR), body mass index (BMI), haemoglobin (Hb) level. risks of developing anaemia and binary logistic regression analysis with significance set at p<0.05. Biochemical and clinical examinations revealed that 18.8% of the participants were anaemic (Hb ≤13b/dL). Their dietary status was below the cutoff of 60% NAR for all nutrients except iron (84%) and protein (55%). The binary logistic regression indicated that participants who used tobacco were about 16 (Odds ratio: 16.39, p<0.01) times more likely to be anaemic compared with nonusers. In the same model men whose intake of protein was (<60% NAR) were 3 (Odds ratio: 3.44, p<0.01) time more likely to be anaemic. In conclusion, tobacco smoking and mainly plant-base sources of protein and iron did not guarantee their availability for optimum utilization for Hb synthesis to lower incidence of high risk of among participating men in the study in Ghana.

Journal of Medical and Biomedical Sciences (2017) 6(3), 7 - 14