Modeling the Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia among Urban Adolescent Girls: A Public Health Assessment with Differential Insights
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Abstract
Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) is the most prevalent micronutrient disorder globally, and adolescent girls are one of the most at-risk groups due to heightened physiological demands during puberty. The review synthesizes the prevalence of IDA in adolescent girls aged 10–19 years residing in urban settings, compiling evidence from national nutrition surveys, World Health Organization (WHO) databases, and peer-reviewed epidemiological studies conducted in various urban settings. The research has a cross-sectional design, applying WHO diagnostic cut-offs for serum ferritin and hemoglobin to assess the prevalence of iron deficiency. The results provide a consistently high prevalence rate of 25% to 50% in various urban settings, driven by socio-economic disparities, inadequate dietary consumption, and menstrual blood loss. A comparative examination between India's National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) and the CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reveals striking age-related patterns and socio-behavioral determinants. The research calls attention to the persisting inequality in anemia control among adolescents during worldwide nutrition interventions. Age-targeted, culturally tailored public health interventions integrated into school health systems are necessary to reduce IDA burden among urban adolescents. A simple differential model is introduced to illustrate the rate of change in hemoglobin concentration due to dietary intake and menstrual losses in adolescents, emphasizing physiological vulnerability.