A SURVEY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF KHOY AND THEIR MOTHERS ABOUT PREVENTIVE MEASURES OF IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AND THEIR PRACTICE

Iron deficiency anemia is a disorder in which because of insufficient intake of iron, iron storage of the body declined and is not sufficient for hemoglobin synthesis. According to WHO, prevalence of Iron deficiency anemia is about 30% worldwide. Prevalence of Iron deficiency anemia in the developing countries is about 40%. It is estimated that iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia involve 2150 and 1200 million individuals, respectively. Economic and sociologic consequences of iron deficiency anemia are considerable and results in wasting of educational and health care resources, decrease in productivity as a result of increase in mortality and morbidity of mothers and children, and finally, decrease in the physical and psychological capacity of great portion of community. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between knowledge of high school students of Khoy and their mothers about preventive measures of iron deficiency anemia and their practice.Methods and Materials: This was a cross-sectional correlational descriptive study. Target population was all the girls of high schools of Khoy and their mothers from which 80 subjects were selected by cluster sampling method. Data were collected by a questionnaire. Data analysis performed using descriptive and inferential statistic. Findings of this study revealed that majority of students (80%) and their mothers (85%) have a great amount of knowledge about preventive measures of iron deficiency anemia. Regarding practice, both groups performed moderately (51.2% of students and 91.2% of mothers). There was not any statistically significant relationship between knowledge and practice of students and their mothers. In spite of good knowledge, student's and their mother's practice regarding preventive measures of iron deficiency anemia was poor, so more education, sensitization and developing appropriate health beliefs is recommended.