Mass Anemia Case in Cirebon, IPB University Lecturer: The Impact of Anemia on Adolescents Should Not Be Trivialized

Anemia is still a health problem that needs to be watched out for, especially among adolescent girls. Some time ago it was reported, as many as 30 percent or 1.440 adolescent girls in Cirebon Regency experienced anemia.

According to Prof Sri Anna Marliyati, a lecturer at the Department of Community Nutrition at IPB University, anemia is a disease that should not be taken lightly. Its prolonged impact requires efforts to prevent anemia, one of which is through continuous education.

“Anemia can occur due to iron, vitamin B12, or folate deficiency. The most common type of anemia is iron deficiency anemia, which is usually caused by low intake of iron-rich foods, especially from animal foods that are more easily absorbed by the body,” she explained.

She said that if an adolescent girl is anemic, by the time she enters adulthood, her menstrual cycle will be irregular and interfere with fertility.

“In general, many teenagers may not realize that they are anemic. During menstruation, she feels dizzy, weak and so on. This is because her hemoglobin (Hb) is low,” she said.

She suggested some foods that can prevent and overcome anemia in adolescents. “You have to consume a lot of iron-source foods, animal foods are better because they are more easily absorbed by the body such as liver, beef, and other animal foods,” she explained.

She continued, if animal food is too economically burdensome because the price is relatively expensive, it can be replaced by consuming iron-source plant foods such as soybeans, green beans, green vegetables, and others.

“However, plant-based foods need to be encouraged for optimal absorption by the body. For example, accompanied by consuming food sources of vitamin C such as oranges, guava and other fruits. Blood supplements (blood supplement tablets) also need to be consumed once a week so that Hb remains normal if the intake from food is insufficient,” she explained.

This lecturer at the Faculty of Human Ecology (Fema) IPB University also revealed that anemia in adolescents can have a negative impact on learning productivity, causing difficulty focusing, fatigue, and ultimately reducing academic performance.

“An adolescent woman who is anemic and then becomes a pregnant woman with anemia, is at risk of giving birth to a baby with a weak condition, even in certain cases it can lead to miscarriage, bleeding during pregnancy, premature labor, fetal disorders, labor disorders and postpartum period,” said Dr Anna.

Furthermore, she explained that if a pregnant woman gives birth to a baby in an anemic condition, it is likely that the child will have a low intelligence quotient (IQ), which has an impact on the quality of human resources (HR) in the future.

“Currently, there are still many teenagers who lack understanding and care about health, especially anemia. Therefore, continuous education is needed, considering the impact of anemia can be serious and prolonged,” she added. (Lp) (IAAS/LAN)