Journal of North Khorasan

Abstract Background & Objectives: Anemia is one of the main problems in the world with a major effect on the working output of individuals. Taking into consideration that prison is a closed environment and the food intake of the prisoners is based on the routine diet they receive, the prevalence of anemia was investigated in the central prison of Mashhad. Material & Methods: This was a descriptive study upon 435 people (48 women and 387 men) who were randomly selected from the prisoners jailed in central prison of Mashhad. A questionnaire including questions regarding weekly receiving foods, sex, age, judiciary and crime type was completed. A blood sample was initially taken from the selected people and hemoglobin, ferritin and iron were measured. Data were analyzed by SPSS software and t-student, chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Generally, 6.5% of prisoners suffered from anemia diagnosed by low hemoglobin and haematocrit. Anemia diagnosed by ferritin was more prevalent in women than men (p<0.001). Iron insufficiency was significantly more in women than men. The data also showed that anemia was increased with age. Conclusion: Based on the current study and the classification of the World Health Organization, iron deficiency anemia had a moderate prevalence among the prisoners of Mashhad central prison. Considering the physical and mental effects of iron deficiency anemia, special attention to sufficient micronutrient supplementation in prisoners’ diet is recommended.