Posted by : Admin|Date : 07 Nov, 2024|Location : Karamsad

Bhaikaka University, Karamsad, Contributed to the SHSRC study on “Determinants of Anemia in Pregnant Women and Adolescent Girls in Gujarat”

Gujarat, despite being a leader in the SDG3 India Index 2022-23 and ranking number one in 2023-24, continues to face significant challenges in addressing issues related to anemia and malnutrition. To address these persistent health issues, the State Health System Resource Centre (SHSRC) has partnered with AIIMS Rajkot to conduct a comprehensive study. The research aimed to understand the prevalence and determinants of anemia among pregnant women and adolescent girls across 10 districts and urban corporations, including Anand, Dahod, Jamnagar, Mehsana, Navsari, Sabarkantha, Tapi, Vadodara, Rajkot Municipal Corporation, and Surat Municipal Corporation.

The Community Medicine Department of Pramukhswami Medical College, Bhaikaka University, Karamsad, in collaboration with district health officials, jointly conducted this research. Dr. Manisha Gohel and Dr. Hemshree Parmar, from the Community Medicine Department, acted as Nodal Officer and Co-Nodal Officer, respectively, overseeing micro-planning, coordination, and supervision of the project. Dr. Subhash Prajapati (RCHO, Anand) and Dr. Kalpendu Pathak (THO, Anand) served as District Nodal Officers, responsible for planning and executing field activities, including logistics, HR management, sample collection, storage, and overall supervision. Nursing students, residents, and social workers from Bhaikaka University actively participated in the sampling and data collection exercise.

As a preparatory exercise, Dr. Manisha Gohel and Dr. Hemshree Parmar conducted two training sessions for ASHA workers, laboratory technicians, supervisors, and data collectors. The survey was carried out across five PHCs in Anand District (Bandhani, V.V. Nagar, Chikhodra, Thamna, and Khadol), where 100 blood samples were collected from each PHC—50 from pregnant women and 50 from adolescent girls. These samples were sent to AIIMS Rajkot for screening of various biochemical tests, including: Albumin, CRP, Ferritin, Folate,B12/FOLATE RGT PK3 for VB12 & Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Prealbumin, dTIBC, Transferrin,B12,25 OH VITAMIN D TOTAL, CBC & Peripheral blood smear. The findings shall help to establish the prevalent trend of Anemia within the target group of population.