Knowledge and Awareness of Anemia and Its Health Consequences Among Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study
Introduction; - Anemia remains one of the most widespread public health problems globally, affecting individuals across all age groups, with a disproportionately high burden among women of reproductive age, adolescents, and low-income populations. Despite decades of national and international control programmes, low levels of community knowledge and awareness continue to hamper prevention efforts. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of anemia and its health consequences among adults residing in an urban community, and to identify the socio-demographic factors associated with adequate knowledge. Materials and Methods: A community-based, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 adults aged 18–60 years selected by systematic random sampling. Data were collected using a pre-tested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of causes, symptoms, prevention, and consequences of anemia, and sources of health information. Knowledge scores were categorized as poor, average, and good based on the total score obtained. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and binary logistic regression, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 420 participants, 56.7% were women. Only 34.0% of participants had good overall knowledge of anemia, while 41.4% had average knowledge and 24.6% had poor knowledge. Awareness of iron-deficiency as the commonest cause was reported by 61.2% of respondents, whereas only 38.3% correctly identified reduced work capacity and 29.5% identified adverse pregnancy outcomes as consequences of anemia. Female sex, higher educational status, higher socio-economic class, and prior exposure to health education were significantly associated with good knowledge (p<0.05). Television and healthcare workers were the most common sources of information. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of adults in this community had inadequate knowledge and awareness of anemia and its consequences, particularly regarding its long-term health and functional effects. Targeted, multi-channel health education strategies focusing on low-literacy and low socio-economic groups are recommended to strengthen community-level anemia control efforts.