Body mass index and blood cell indices in students of Para-medical Faculty, Babol University of Medical Sciences

Background and purpose: Approximately one-third of the world's population suffers from anemia. Anemia in adults causes irritability, impaired mental focus, difficulty in daily activities, and sleep. Body mass index (BMI) is an indicator of nutritional status in adults. The current study aimed to assess the body mass index and blood indices of students in local domain. Materials and methods:   This cross-sectional study was performed on the students of Babol University of Medical Sciences. BMI value was obtained based on weight and height for each case.  Cell blood count was also carried out for each participant. Hemoglobin of less than 12 g/dl and 13g/dl were considered as anemia in females and males, respectively. Results: Of 312 sample students, 212 cases were female and 100 were male. The average BMI and hemoglobin were 22.8 kg/m2 and 14 g/dl, respectively. Fifty-five (17.6%) students were anemic. Also, the analysis of distribution of BMI measurement by gender showed that being underweight was more prevalent in females (9.4%) in comparison with males (5%). The highest prevalence rate of anemia was observed in the cases that had BMI ≥ 25. Overall, not any significant statistical difference was observed between BMI and anemia. Conclusion: With regard to the results, overweight and obesity were associated with a lower probability of anemia in students. It was also revealed that anemia and emaciation, mainly observed in female students, should be considered as major issues for health care system. Thus, public health intervention was suggested to be performed so as to prevent combined micronutrient deficiencies and obesity. An investigation of the potential causes of this phenomenon was also recommended.