Unveiling Hidden Story of Anaemia Among Indian Muslim Women: A Comprehensive Analysis from 1998 to 2021

Iron deficiency among women of reproductive age, driven by factors such as inadequate dietary intake, menstrual blood loss, and heightened iron demands during pregnancy, remains a global public health concern. This research scrutinizes the prevalence of nutritional anaemia among Muslim women in India over the years, with a particular focus on disparities and trends. Our findings reveal a concerning upward trajectory in anaemia prevalence, indicating shift from 51.56% (1998-1999) to 57.03% (2019-2021) among women in the general population and from 48.77% to 55.6% among Muslim women in India. Geographically, the Northeastern and Eastern regions exhibit the highest anaemia prevalence rates, at 72.12% and 60.5% in 1998-99, respectively, which decreased to 41.41% and 55.95% in 2015-16 but again rose by 17.74% and 8.72% in 2019-21 respectively among Muslim women. Furthermore, rural areas witness strikingly higher anaemia prevalence among Muslim women, exceeding urban areas by over 8%. Educational attainment emerges as a crucial determinant, with 22.43% of Muslim women lacking formal education and 51.15% with higher education experiencing anaemia during 2019-2021. The disparities in anaemia prevalence based on education levels have shown variation across three National Family Health Survey (NFHS) rounds, with the gap narrowing over time, yet persisting among women with no or primary education. Economic disparities are evident, as wealth quintiles display a clear gradient, with the poorest quintile consistently having the highest predicted probability of anaemia. Conversely, the richest quintile consistently exhibits the lowest anaemia prevalence. Notably, NFHS-5 reveals a significant decline in anaemia prevalence among the poorest quintile till 2015-16 but the highest rise of 6.73% in 2019-21.The findings of this research shed light on the multifaceted nature of anaemia, emphasizing its association with various socioeconomic determinants and regional disparities to modify existing public policies and improve population health in context of most vulnerable sections in developing countries.