Prevalence of Anemia and Its Association with Body Mass Index Status among Allied Health Sciences Students at a Leading University in Sri Lanka: A Cross-sectional Study

Anemia and obesity are major global health issues associated with substantial mortality in developing countries. Although the student population was reported to be more vulnerable to anemia and Body Mass Index (BMI) outside the normal range, there is a lack of contemporary data in Sri Lanka. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anemia in relation to BMI status among students in the Allied Health Sciences (AHS) at a leading university in Sri Lanka. After obtaining informed consent, blood samples were collected, and hemoglobin concentration was estimated. Weight and height were measured, and BMI was calculated. Additionally, a self-administered questionnaire was utilized to gather data on factors associated with obesity and anemia. Results revealed a prevalence of 22.9% for anemia and 50.1% for underweight or overweight/obesity, with a female predominance. Furthermore, anemic individuals had significantly higher BMI levels than healthy students (p = 0.028), although no significant differences were found between BMI categories and anemia status. The risk analysis revealed that students with BMI outside the normal range have a higher chance of being anemic than those with normal BMI. Irregular exercise and less consumption of green leafy vegetables were associated with anemia (p < 0.05), while a family history of anemia and obesity showed a significant association (p < 0.05) with obesity. In conclusion, the prevalence of anemia among AHS undergraduates with higher BMI levels is relatively high; however, further studies are recommended to find the association between obesity and anemia.