Influence of living conditions on the incidence of anemia and effects of health guidance and diet supplementation on recovery from anemia of women in fishing villages.

Studies were made on the relationship between the incidence of anemia and living conditions of women in fishing villages in Tokushima prefecture, and also on the effects of health guidance and supplementation of the diet with iron enriched food on recovery from anemia. With regard to economic conditions, Hb values were found to be higher in women who spent more money on food and who had much leisure time compared with working hours. With regard to diet, Hb values were higher in women with higher intakes of animal protein and vitamin C. Intake of vitamin C was significantly higher in a group with hemoglobin value of over 12.0 g/dl than in a group with hemoglobin value of under 12.0 g/dl. The cumulative recovery rate from anemia of women receiving health guidance was 61.5% and the cumulative recovery rate from anemia of women receiving Tsukudani (a preparation of small dried sardines) enriched with iron for 60 to 105 days (30 to 75 mg iron per day: average 59.3 mg per day) was 53.3%. But the recovery rate of serum iron was lower than those of Hb and Ht, being about 40% on the average.