Dietary Intakes and Socioeconomic Factors Are Associated with the Hemoglobin Concentration of Bangladeshi Women

Iron deficiency anemia affects a large number of women in developing countries, especially during child-bearing years. The hemoglobin concentration is useful for identifying iron deficiency anemia. The main objectives of this study were, first, to extend algorithms for calculating bioavailable iron from mixed diets, taking into account the enhancers and inhibitors of iron absorption under alternative assumptions on body iron stores. Second, a comprehensive longitudinal model was developed for the proximate determinants of hemoglobin concentration that included the subjects' dietary intakes, nutritional status, morbidity and socioeconomic factors and the unobserved between-subject differences. The model for hemoglobin concentration was estimated using three repeated observations on 514 free living women in Bangladesh. Socioeconomic factors affecting the iron intake from meat, fish and…