Obesity and iron‑deficiency anemia in women of reproductive age in northern Iran

Obesity and iron deficiency (ID) are two forms of the most usual nutritional disorders worldwide. Some studies have discovered a correlation between ID and obesity although more investigation is required. This study was aimed to determine the association between obesity and ID anemia (IDA) in Iranian childbearing age women.

This cross‑sectional study was done on 256 women of reproductive age in northern Iran. The anthropometric measurements including height and weight were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Low blood index of the hemoglobin (Hb), mean cell volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were evaluated with ferritin, serum iron, and total iron‑binding capacity. Baseline data were expressed as means ± standard deviations. Chi‑square test was applied to compare the categorical variable. Differences between the two groups were evaluated with independent samples t‑test. A value of P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Obesity was in urban women higher than rural women (55.1% vs. 44.9%), and this difference was significant (P < 0.021). There was found no association between hematological characteristics and BMI. The data showed that only 13.4% of obese women and 17.1% of the women with normal weight had IDA (odds ratio = 0.75; 95% confidence interval: 0.39–1.49, P > 0.05).

According to the results of this study, it seems that the relationship between obesity and IDA is controversial. Hence, further studies are needed to be done.