Abstract

Background: Iron deficiency anemia is the most common type of anaemia. Females have higher prevalence of iron deficiency anemia. Hemoglobin (Hb) concentration is used to diagnose iron deficiency anemia along with other test. It is used in screening of anemia too. Increase in body fat may impair the level of Hb in healthy females. Aims and Objectives: The aim and objective of this study were to find correlation between Hb versus body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage in otherwise healthy adult female.
Materials and Methods: Weight and height were measured to calculate BMI. Body fat was measured by Omron body fat monitor. Hb was measured by colorimetric method from venous blood. Pearson correlation was used to find a correlation between Hb and measured parameters. A P <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Among 232 subjects, 34.6% was found to be suffering from anemia. Correlation between Hb and BMI was r = −0.49, P < 0.001. Correlation between Hb and body fat percentage was r = −0.56, P < 0.001. Conclusion: There was a significant negative correlation of blood Hb level with BMI and body fat percentage. Hence, increase in body fat may be considered as an indicator of lower Hb level.