Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the
prevalence of anemia among adolescent males and
females in the far western part of Nepal. Patients and
Methods: A hospital-based study was carried out in
Nepalgunj Medical College, Kohalpur, Banke, Nepal
to determine prevalence and distribution of anemia in
terms of age and gender among adolescents population.
A total of 2027 adolescent (10-19 years old) females
and males were included in the study from March 2011
to December 2012. Hemoglobin level was determined
by the Cyanmethaemoglobin method. Data were
summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: The
overall prevalence of anemia was 52% for both males
and females. 29.7% of the females and 22.4% of the
males were anemic. The proportion of mild anemia
was 67.5% (38.4% in females and 29.0% in males),
moderate anemia was 20.0% (10.9% in females and
9.1% in males) and severe anemia was 12.5% (7.7%
in females and 4.8% in males). Analyzing data within
age groups revealed that the highest prevalence of
anemia in general occurred in the 18-19 year old
subjects affecting 292 (82 males and 210 females).
Conclusions: Anemia in Nepalese adolescents is
mostly mild, occurs more in late teenage years and
it mainly affects females. Nutritional improvement
and oral iron supplementation is needed for curing of
anemia.