Impact of fortified rice on hemoglobin levels in adolescent girls from BPL households: A study in Balasore district

Abstract

Iron deficiency anemia is among the most widespread nutritional deficiencies globally and continues to be a significant public health issue in India, especially affecting adolescent girls. The present study was conducted in Balasore district of Odisha during the year 2024-2025 entitled “Impact of fortified rice on hemoglobin levels in adolescent girls from BPL households: A study in Balasore district”. A total of 120 respondents were selected by the purposive sampling method for the study, of which 90 were from BPL households and 30 from Non-BPL households. The main two objectives of the study were to access the acceptability and knowledge of fortified rice among the adolescent girls and to know the effect of fortified rice on the nutritional status of adolescent girls. Statistical analysis was carried out to assess the association between fortified rice consumption and improvement in hemoglobin, vitamin B12 and folic acid levels. The results revealed that with regular consumption of fortified rice the biochemical parameters haemoglobin (12.9 ± 0.3), vitamin B12(422.3 ± 20.1), folic acid (8.2 ± 0.4) was higher in BPL adolescent girls in comparison to Non-BPL adolescent girls parameters hemoglobin (10.8 ± 0.4), vitamin B12(220.3 ± 15.0), folic acid (4.1 ± 0.3). The study concludes that fortified rice has a considerable impact in combating iron deficiency anemia among vulnerable groups. The findings suggest that fortified rice can serve as a sustainable nutritional strategy to improve the health and nutritional status of adolescent girls in Odisha.