Iron deficiency anaemia is recognized as one of the most prevalent nutritional health problems among school-going children and adolescents across the world. Factors, such as insufficient intake of iron-rich foods, unhealthy dietary habits, and inadequate awareness about preventive strategies, play a major role in increasing its occurrence. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving knowledge regarding the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia among school students. A pre-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design was employed for the study. The research was conducted among selected school students, and data were gathered using a structured questionnaire to measure their level of knowledge before and after the educational programme. The intervention covered important topics including the causes, symptoms, and complications of iron deficiency anaemia, sources of iron-rich foods, dietary habits that enhance iron absorption, and various preventive measures. The collected data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The study findings indicated that the students possessed inadequate knowledge regarding the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia during the pre-test phase. Following the educational intervention, a marked improvement in their knowledge scores was observed, demonstrating the effectiveness of the teaching programme. The results indicated that health education plays an important role in improving awareness and promoting healthy dietary habits among school students. The study concluded that educational interventions are effective in enhancing students’ understanding regarding prevention of iron deficiency anaemia and can contribute to better health outcomes. Regular school-based health education programmes may help in reducing the burden of nutritional anaemia among adolescents and encourage positive lifestyle practices from an early age.

Keywords: Iron deficiency anaemia, educational intervention, school students, prevention,knowledge assessment

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The findings of the study indicated that the educational intervention successfully enhanced the students’ knowledge regarding the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia. A comparison of the pre-test and post-test results demonstrated a noticeable improvement in the participants’ understanding following the teaching programme. The findings suggest that providing appropriate health education can enhance awareness regarding iron-rich foods, balanced diet, and preventive measures of iron deficiency anaemia. School-based educational programmes can, therefore, serve as an effective strategy to promote healthy dietary habits and prevent nutritional deficiencies among adolescents. The study emphasizes the importance of regular health education activities in schools to improve students’ knowledge and support better health outcomes in the future.

REFERENCES

1. Brunner & Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing. 15th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2021.
2. Park K. Park’s textbook of preventive and social medicine. 27th ed. Jabalpur: Banarsidas Bhanot Publishers; 2023.
3. Campos-Sánchez M, Cordero-Muñoz L, Velásquez-Hurtado E, Baiocchi-Ureta N, Miranda-Cuadros M, Sánchez-Griñán MI, et al. New world health organization guideline on anemia cut-off points: Implications for children aged 6-35 months in Peru. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica. 2025;42(2):115–125. doi: 10.17843/rpmesp.2025.422.14028. PMID:40900478; PMCID:PMC12377884.
4. The state of the world’s children: nutrition report. New York: UNICEF; 2021. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2021
5. Kaur H. Textbook of community health nursing. 2nd ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2020.
6. Rizvi ZA, Singh J, Mishra P, Kumar A, Saini A, Patel N, et al. Anemia Mukt Bharat Index: Methodology and State Rankings of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Coverage in India, 2018-2019 to 2022-2023. Glob Health Sci Pract. 2026 Jan 6;13(2):e2400077. doi: 10.9745/GHSP-D-24-00077. PMID:41371944; PMCID:PMC12838808.
7. Gupta A, Parashar A, Thakur A, Sharma D. Anemia among adolescent girls in Shimla Hills of north India: Does BMI and onset of menarche have a role? Indian J Med Sci. 2012 May–Jun;66(5–6):126–30. PMID: 23806985.
8. Manu J, Samuel M, Sharma J, Singh M. Effectiveness of structured teaching programme on knowledge regarding iron deficiency anaemia among adolescent girls of Jawaharlal Nehru Inter College Kalyanpur, Kanpur. Int J Adv Res. 2018;6(10):1300–1304. doi: https://dx.doi.org/ 21474/IJAR01/7938.
9. Jefferds MED, Mei Z, Addo Y, Hamner HC, Perrine CG, Flores-Ayala R, Pfeiffer CM, Sharma AJ. Iron deficiency in the United States: Limitations in guidelines, data, and monitoring of disparities. Am J Public Health. 2022 Oct;112(S8):S826–S835. doi:2105/AJPH.2022.306998. PMID: 36288529; PMCID: PMC9612197.
10. Srilakshmi B. Nutrition and dietetics for nurses. 8th ed. New Delhi: New Age International Publishers; 2021.

Iron deficiency anaemia is recognized as one of the most prevalent nutritional health problems among school-going children and adolescents across the world. Factors, such as insufficient intake of iron-rich foods, unhealthy dietary habits, and inadequate awareness about preventive strategies, play a major role in increasing its occurrence. The current study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving knowledge regarding the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia among school students. A pre-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test design was employed for the study. The research was conducted among selected school students, and data were gathered using a structured questionnaire to measure their level of knowledge before and after the educational programme. The intervention covered important topics including the causes, symptoms, and complications of iron deficiency anaemia, sources of iron-rich foods, dietary habits that enhance iron absorption, and various preventive measures. The collected data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The study findings indicated that the students possessed inadequate knowledge regarding the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia during the pre-test phase. Following the educational intervention, a marked improvement in their knowledge scores was observed, demonstrating the effectiveness of the teaching programme. The results indicated that health education plays an important role in improving awareness and promoting healthy dietary habits among school students. The study concluded that educational interventions are effective in enhancing students’ understanding regarding prevention of iron deficiency anaemia and can contribute to better health outcomes. Regular school-based health education programmes may help in reducing the burden of nutritional anaemia among adolescents and encourage positive lifestyle practices from an early age.

Keywords: Iron deficiency anaemia, educational intervention, school students, prevention,knowledge assessment

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

The findings of the study indicated that the educational intervention successfully enhanced the students’ knowledge regarding the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia. A comparison of the pre-test and post-test results demonstrated a noticeable improvement in the participants’ understanding following the teaching programme. The findings suggest that providing appropriate health education can enhance awareness regarding iron-rich foods, balanced diet, and preventive measures of iron deficiency anaemia. School-based educational programmes can, therefore, serve as an effective strategy to promote healthy dietary habits and prevent nutritional deficiencies among adolescents. The study emphasizes the importance of regular health education activities in schools to improve students’ knowledge and support better health outcomes in the future.

REFERENCES

1. Brunner & Suddarth’s textbook of medical-surgical nursing. 15th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2021.
2. Park K. Park’s textbook of preventive and social medicine. 27th ed. Jabalpur: Banarsidas Bhanot Publishers; 2023.
3. Campos-Sánchez M, Cordero-Muñoz L, Velásquez-Hurtado E, Baiocchi-Ureta N, Miranda-Cuadros M, Sánchez-Griñán MI, et al. New world health organization guideline on anemia cut-off points: Implications for children aged 6-35 months in Peru. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica. 2025;42(2):115–125. doi: 10.17843/rpmesp.2025.422.14028. PMID:40900478; PMCID:PMC12377884.
4. The state of the world’s children: nutrition report. New York: UNICEF; 2021. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2021
5. Kaur H. Textbook of community health nursing. 2nd ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2020.
6. Rizvi ZA, Singh J, Mishra P, Kumar A, Saini A, Patel N, et al. Anemia Mukt Bharat Index: Methodology and State Rankings of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Coverage in India, 2018-2019 to 2022-2023. Glob Health Sci Pract. 2026 Jan 6;13(2):e2400077. doi: 10.9745/GHSP-D-24-00077. PMID:41371944; PMCID:PMC12838808.
7. Gupta A, Parashar A, Thakur A, Sharma D. Anemia among adolescent girls in Shimla Hills of north India: Does BMI and onset of menarche have a role? Indian J Med Sci. 2012 May–Jun;66(5–6):126–30. PMID: 23806985.
8. Manu J, Samuel M, Sharma J, Singh M. Effectiveness of structured teaching programme on knowledge regarding iron deficiency anaemia among adolescent girls of Jawaharlal Nehru Inter College Kalyanpur, Kanpur. Int J Adv Res. 2018;6(10):1300–1304. doi: https://dx.doi.org/ 21474/IJAR01/7938.
9. Jefferds MED, Mei Z, Addo Y, Hamner HC, Perrine CG, Flores-Ayala R, Pfeiffer CM, Sharma AJ. Iron deficiency in the United States: Limitations in guidelines, data, and monitoring of disparities. Am J Public Health. 2022 Oct;112(S8):S826–S835. doi:2105/AJPH.2022.306998. PMID: 36288529; PMCID: PMC9612197.
10. Srilakshmi B. Nutrition and dietetics for nurses. 8th ed. New Delhi: New Age International Publishers; 2021.