Correlation Between Haemoglobin Level and Anthropometric Variables: A Study on Women of Reproductive Age Group, West Bengal

Abstract

The recent study attempts to find the association between haemoglobin level and different anthropometric indices among the women belonging to reproductive age group with low socio-economic status. In this study haemoglobin level of 353 women belonging to the reproductive age group (15 years to 45 years) residing in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal, India was measured. The socio-economic status of the women in this study was assessed by revised Kuppuswami’s socio-economic status scale. Analysis of the data revealed a significant (p<0.05) correlation between haemoglobin level in this group of women with their corresponding anthropometric parameters like weight, height, waist circumference (WC), Waist–hip ratio (WHR) while the basal metabolic rate was found to be strongly correlated (r=0.172; p<0.001) with haemoglobin level. Approximately 3 out of 4 women belonging to the reproductive age group with low socio-economic status in Paschim Medinipur district had low haemoglobin levels and positive association were noted between weight, height, WC, WHR of these women.