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Objective:

To determine the prevalence of anemia and iron status as assessed by biochemical markers and to explore the associations between markers of iron status and iron intake.

Study area and population:

Five hundred healthy women of reproductive age from the Bhaktapur district of Nepal were included in the study.

Methods:

A cluster sampling procedure was applied for this cross-sectional study. Women without any ongoing infection aged 13–35 years were selected randomly from the population. We measured the plasma concentration of hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin and transferrin receptors. Dietary information was obtained by a food frequency questionnaire and two 24-h dietary recalls.

Results:

The prevalence of anemia (Hb concentration< 12 g/dl) was 12%(n= 58). The prevalence of depleted iron stores (plasma ferritin< 15 μg/l) was 20%(n= 98) whereas the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (anemia …