Prevalence of Anemia and its Association with Household and Personal Factors among Unmarried Female Nursing Students in North India: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Anemia is a serious public health problem across the world. It affects both sexes—more commonly women, at all stages of their life. This study is an attempt to find the role of certain household and personal factors in the causation of anemia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 342 unmarried female nursing students at a tertiary healthcare center in North India between March and June 2025. Variables studied included mother’s education, father’s education, family type, household size, family income, birth order, dietary habit, Menstrual blood flow and body mass index (BMI). Data collection was done using a pre-validated, self-administered interview schedule. Hemoglobin levels were measured by a trained laboratory technician using Sahli’s method. Data analysis was performed using STATA/SE 19.5 version of statistical software. Results: The mean age of participants was 20.36 ± 1.9 years. The prevalence of anemia was 66.66% (31% mild, 35% moderate, 0.6% severe). No household or personal factors showed a significant association with anemia. Predictive margin analysis indicated the highest probability of anemia (0.5312) in participants from SES Class IV with nuclear families, and the lowest probability (0.0994) in those from SES Class V with nuclear families. Conclusion: Anemia prevalence among unmarried female nursing students was high. The study could not establish association of anemia with assessed household or personal factors.