Prevalence of anaemia in the postpartum period: a study of a North Indian village.

Anaemia is a common public health problem but there is a paucity of studies regarding anaemia in the postpartum period. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anaemia in the postpartum period and factors associated with it. This prospective community-based study was carried out in a village of Haryana, India. Blood samples were collected for haemoglobin estimation at the end of six weeks postpartum. A total of 211 women were recruited and 168 women were included in the final analysis. It was found that 70% of the study participants were anaemic (Hb < 11 g/dL). Only 37% of the population had consumed >/=90 iron folic acid (IFA) tablets. The mean haemoglobin level of women who had consumed >/=90 IFA tablets in the antepartum period was higher (10.43 g/dL) than those who consumed <90 IFA (9.9 g/dL). Multicentric studies are recommended to get the true picture for the whole country.