Hemoglobin and serum folate levels among women of childbearing age in Shaanxi,China

Objective To unde rstand the level of serum folate and hemoglob in among women of childbearing age.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among subjects selected randomly based on the population proportion.Information on family backg round were collected.Hemoglobin(Hb),serum ferritin and folate were measured.Results Totally 610 subjects were obtained with complete information.Mean value of fo late was 4.99μg/L for urban women and 4.91μg/L for rural women.12.5% of women were in folate-deficient and the prevalence of fo late deficiency decreased with age.Prevalence of folate deficiency in rural women was 16.9% in north Shaanxi,6% in south Shaanxi and 14.4% in middle Shaanxi.Mean value of Hb was 122.0 g/L in urban women and 123.1 g/L in rural women.Prevalence of anemia and IDA was 36.4% and 15.7%,respectively.Prevalence of anem ia in rural women was 19.5% in north Shaanxi,38.0% in south Shaanxi and 44.8% in middle Shaanxi.Conclsion Folate deficiency prevailed among the women in Shaanxi,especially in middle and north Shaanxi.Prevalence of anemia among women of childbea ring age was still high in Shaanxi,espe-cially in middle and south Shaanxi.