IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS FROM DIFFERENT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS

One hundred and fourteen 11-14-year-old schoolgirls from Wembley, Midd lesex, were assessed for Fe status haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volum e and mean corpuscular Hb concentration, height, weight, eating habits , and ethnic origin, and undertook a step test to assess physical perf ormance. Overall, 20% of girls had Hb less than 120 g/l, ranging from 11% in White girls to 22-25% in girls of Asian origin. Prevalence of l ow Hb was 20% in vegetarians, higher in White vegetarians compared wit h nonvegetarians (23 v. 4%), but lower in the Indian vegetarians compa red with non-vegetarians (17 v. 32%). Low Hb was present in 25% of gir ls who had tried to lose weight in the previous year, and was more com mon in girls from manual social class backgrounds than non-manual (24 v. 10%). At the start of the step test the twenty-three girls with low Hb had heart rates similar to those with normal Hb, but heart rates i n the low Hb group were significantly elevated immediately after the s tep test, and still significantly elevated 1 min later. The present re sults confirm the findings of a previous study in White girls, and sug gest that physical performance may be compromised at mild levels of an aemia.