Anemia Knowledge and Its Relationship with Iron Supplement Consumption and High-Iron Diet among Adolescents at SMP Muhammadiyah 7 Surabaya

Abstract

Anemia is a common health problem among adolescent girls and can negatively affect both health and academic achievement. Knowledge of anemia is considered to play a role in influencing iron supplement consumption behavior and adherence to a high-iron diet. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between anemia knowledge and iron supplement consumption practices as well as high-iron dietary patterns among adolescents. An observational analytic study with a cross-sectional design was conducted on 52 female students at SMP Muhammadiyah 7 Surabaya. Data were collected using questionnaires to assess anemia knowledge, iron supplement consumption, and high-iron dietary intake measured with SQ-FFQ, and analyzed using the Spearman rank correlation test. The results showed that most respondents had good knowledge about anemia (82.7%), while only 38.5% demonstrated good iron supplement consumption practices and 51.9% reported a good high-iron diet. Statistical analysis revealed no significant relationship between anemia knowledge and iron supplement consumption (p = 0.066) or between anemia knowledge and high-iron diet (p = 0.051). These findings indicate that good knowledge alone does not guarantee healthy behavior, and other factors such as attitudes, motivation, and social support may contribute to anemia prevention practices. The study is limited by its cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data, which may restrict causal interpretation and introduce recall bias.