Prevalence of Anaemia and Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Concerns about Anaemia among Female Students in University of Papua New Guinea

Author: Jilter Yopond ; Elias Namosha ; Shalon Taufa ; Victor J Temple
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Anaemia, university; female students; knowledge; attitudes; practices
From: Pacific Journal of Medical Sciences 2024;25(1):22-44
CountryPapua New Guinea
Language:English
Abstract: Anaemia is among the major public health problems in most resource limited countries. It occurs when the haemoglobin (Hb) concentration in the blood is lower than the recommended WHO cut-off values. Some recent studies revealed that most female university students had an appropriate level of knowledge about anaemia, but showed a lack of positive attitude and good practices towards preventing it. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of anaemia and to evaluate the Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Concerns (KAPC) about anaemia among female students in the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG). In this institution-based cross-sectional observational descriptive study, 217 female students consented to participate. The Point-of-Care HemoCue® Hb 301 was used to determine the haemoglobin levels of the consented female students.