A SURVEY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF KHOY AND THEIR MOTHERS ABOUT PREVENTIVE MEASURES OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AND THEIR PRACTICE

Iron deficiency anemia is a disorder in which because of insufficient intake of iron, iron
storage of the body declined and is not sufficient for hemoglobin synthesis. According to WHO,
prevalence of Iron deficiency anemia is about 30% worldwide. Prevalence of Iron deficiency anemia
in the developing countries is about 40%. It is estimated that iron deficiency and iron deficiency
anemia involve 2150 and 1200 million individuals, respectively. Economic and sociologic
consequences of iron deficiency anemia are considerable and results in wasting of educational and
health care resources, decrease in productivity as a result of increase in mortality and morbidity of
mothers and children, and finally, decrease in the physical and psychological capacity of great portion
of community. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between knowledge of high
school students of Khoy and their mothers about preventive measures of iron deficiency anemia and
their practice.
Methods and Materials: This was a cross-sectional correlational descriptive study. Target population
was all the girls of high schools of Khoy and their mothers from which 80 subjects were selected by
cluster sampling method. Data were collected by a questionnaire. Data analysis performed using
descriptive and inferential statistic.
Results: Findings of this study revealed that majority of students (80%) and their mothers (85%) have
a great amount of knowledge about preventive measures of iron deficiency anemia. Regarding
practice, both groups performed moderately (51.2% of students and 91.2% of mothers). There was not
any statistically significant relationship between knowledge and practice of students and their mothers.
Conclusion: In spite of good knowledge, students' and their mothers' practice regarding preventive
measures of iron deficiency anemia was poor, so more education, sensitization and developing
appropriate health beliefs is recommended.