First Advisor
Shawn Smallman
Date of Award
5-23-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Public Health Studies: Community Health Promotion and University Honors
Department
Health Studies
Language
English
Subjects
Iron deficiency anemia -- Developing countries, Health counseling -- Developing countries, Nutrition counseling, Pregnant women -- Health and hygiene, Child development, Transcultural medical care
DOI
10.15760/honors.859
Abstract
Iron is a mineral that the human body uses to make hemoglobin, a protein that red blood cells need to carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. The lack of adequate iron in the blood is known as iron deficiency, which if experienced in greater proportions, can lead to anaemia. Iron-deficiency anaemia is generally understood as a nutritional deficiency that can be treated by diets of food rich in iron content or the ingestion of iron supplements; yet lack of information, restricted access to bioavailable iron-rich foods, minimal awareness of anaemia’s detrimental effects on children’s cognitive development, culturally inaccurate understandings of anaemia consequences, and non-compliance for the ingestion of iron pills; illuminates a greater public health issue to overcome in the developing world than simply focusing on the massive distribution of iron supplements. A holistic and culturally-driven perspective of iron-deficiency anaemia is necessary to adjust our current practices of health counseling, distribution of complete information regarding iron supplements, informed and culturally-sensitive diets, as well as ensuring the delivery of substantial programs of prevention and follow-up for iron-deficiency anaemia.
Rights
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33024
Recommended Citation
Alarcon Basurto, Samantha G., "Iron-Deficiency Anaemia (IDA): Socio-Cultural Misconceptions Intersect the Health of Vulnerable Populations in Developing Countries" (2020). University Honors Theses. Paper 840.
https://doi.org/10.15760/honors.859