Publications

This research aimed to evaluate the prevalence and factors contributing to iron deficiencyanemia among undergraduate female medical students at Kampala International UniversityWestern Campus (KIU-WC). Employing a cross-sectional study design, data was collectedfrom a sample of undergraduate female medical students at KIU-WC using a simple randomsampling method. The information gathered through questionnaires was entered intoMicrosoft Excel 2013 and analyzed using Stata 12.0. Among the 384 randomly selectedrespondents, the study revealed an anemia prevalence of 15.89%. The socio-demographicfactors significantly associated with anemia included age group (20 – 24 years vs. less than20 years), mother’s education level (high school vs. no education), and primary expenses(social events vs. buying food). Additionally, nutritional behaviors such as frequency ofmeals per day (3 – 4 meals vs. 1 - 2 meals) and weekly breakfast intake (6 – 7 times vs. 0 – 1time) were associated with anemia. Comparatively, the prevalence of undernutrition amongthese female medical students was relatively low compared to similar studies. Notably, age,mother’s education level, primary expenses, frequency of meals, and weekly breakfastintake emerged as significant factors associated with anemia among undergraduate femalemedical students at KIU-WC.Keywords: Anaemia, Women of reproductive age, Pregnant women, Female medicalstudents, Haemoglobin