Nutritional Anemia in an Inner-City Community

Abstract

The extent of anemia was investigated in 1,789 individuals under 21 years of age residing in an inner-city neighborhood. The study group was composed of 56% black, 33% Spanish-speaking, and 11% white individuals. The results reveal that 12.5% of those 10 to 36 months of age, 4.4% of those 3 to 10 years of age, 2.4% of those 10 to 14 years of age, and 13.5% of the girls and 1.2% of the boys 14 to 21 years of age were anemic by hematocrit determination. With the use of hemoglobin determinations, a larger proportion was found to be anemic. Ethnic differences were noted among teen-age girls: white and Spanish-speaking girls were found to be anemic less frequently than black girls of the same age. The results suggest that nutrition counseling and iron supplementation, when indicated, should continue into adolescence.