Its prevalence is 23.2% among men, finds study

Anaemia among men in India is an important public health problem with State-level prevalence in men varying from 9.2% (average of 7.7%-10.9%) in Manipur to 32.9% (average of 31%-34.7%) in Bihar, revealed a study titled ‘Anaemia among men in India: A nationally representative cross-sectional study’ published in Lancet Global Health recently.

The report noted that while studies on anaemia in India have mostly focused on women and children, men have received far less attention.

The study is aimed to determine variation in prevelance of anaemia acrossStates by socio-demographic characteristics and whether the variations are similar to that among women.

“The study found that in men, the prevalence of any anaemia was 23.2%, moderate or severe anaemia was 5.1%, and severe anaemia was 0.5%. An estimated 21.7% of men with any degree of anaemia had moderate or severe anaemia compared with 53.2% of women with any anaemia,” noted the study.