Prevalence of anemia in adults: a rural community study in Deqing county, Zhejiang province, China

Objective　The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of anemia in adults in rual communities of Deqingcounty, Zhejiang province. Methods　A cross sectional study was carried out in four rural communities in Deqing county,Zhejiang province. A randomized sample of 4467 subjects aged 18 to 64 years participated in this study and providedmeasurements of hemoglobin. Their conditions of anemia were determined according to the diagnostic criteria recognized by theWHO. Results　The average hemoglobin level of subjects was (123.519.3) g/L; the value was (135.717.1) g/L in men and(114.715.6)g/L in women. The gross prevalence of anemia was 51.6%(male 34.9% female 63.4%) and the age genderstandardized prevalence was 43.5%. Conclusion　There was significant age trend for the prevalence of anemia (X2 trend＝15.53, P0.001). Potential risk factors included age, gender, educational level, average per capita income of the family,smoking, diet and BMI. The prevalence of anemia in adults aged 18 to 64 years in rural communities of Deqing county was highand considerations should be given to ensure more intensified surveillance.