[ad_1]
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has described as "alarming" the high incidence of anemia among women in the central region and called for effective collaboration among stakeholders to address this concern.
According to the Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Ghana in 2014, more than 47% of women aged 15-49 in the region were anemic.
Dr. Kwabena Sarpong, Deputy Regional Director of Public Health and Head of Public Health, recalled that the high prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls and women with rules in the Region and its consequences on society can not to be ignored.
He was speaking at a regional outreach meeting with stakeholders in Cape Coast to solicit their support for the successful implementation of the Girls Iron Folate Tablet Supplementation (GIFTS) program, which will be rolled out in the region in April.
GIFTS, a public health intervention, aims to provide teenagers with free weekly iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements to prevent and reduce the high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in girls in this age group. age.
It is a collaboration between the GHS and the Ghana Education Service (GES), funded by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Dr. Sarpong said she was concerned that this state of health was due to a lack of nutrition for many teenage girls and women, especially when the teenage pregnancy rate was also high.
He lamented that many teenage mothers and their children do not eat foods that would provide them with the nutrients necessary for healthy growth because of poverty, adding that teenage girls must eat well to replenish the lost blood and iron. during menstruation.
"If the teenager is not eating well, her hemoglobin is compromised and, if the hemoglobin is low, the situation is worse for menstruation. In the event that she becomes pregnant, her health has deteriorated further, "he said.
According to him, the immediate side effect of anemia was poor memory and, ultimately, poor academic performance, while the long-term effect could be complications in pregnancy such as premature or dead births. and even death during childbirth.
Dr Sarpong called for effective engagement of key partners in the districts and urged all stakeholders to play their respective roles in implementing the program in order to achieve the desired results.
Ms. Rachael Mensah, Nutrition Officer at the Regional Health Directorate, said the GIFTS program sought to reduce at least 20% of teenage anemia rates in the region.
She stated that the program was in line with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations that menstruating women should receive folic acid supplements (IFA), in cases where the prevalence of anemia was higher at 40%.
Statistics indicate that 47.7% of teenage girls in the region are anemic, which means that they are not getting enough nutrients and that families need to diversify their diets.
Ms Mensah said the program would go a long way in improving awareness of the causes and prevention of anemia among adolescent girls and women, and would also help to improve the educational outcomes of adolescent girls.
She emphasized the need for women to properly prepare their nutritional status before pregnancy, adding that this could be done by eating foods containing all minerals, especially iron.
Adolescent and menstruated women would benefit from health education during the program.
Source: GNA
Source link
