Hemoglobin concentration and working capacity of nonpregnant rural women of the Kathmandu valley of Nepal.

Abstract

The relationship between hemoglobin concentration, nutritional status, and working capacity of village women in Nepal was investigated. Subjects were 71 nonpregnant women (ages 18 to 60 yr) living at altitudes ranging from 1,300 to 1,600 m in a rural area near Kathmandu. Half of the women (51%) performed manual wage labor on a daily basis, working as field hands during the agricultural season and breaking rocks into gravel during the remainder of the year; the remaining 49% worked only in their own fields or in exchange labor groups. Anemia was mild but widespread; 62% of the women had hemoglobin concentrations of 12.0 gm/dl or lower. Mean hemoglobin for the total sample was 11.7 ± 1.4 gm/dl (range 7.2 to 15.6 gm/dl). A step test was used to measure working capacity, and expired air samples were analyzed for O2 and CO2 using a Scholander 0.5 ml gas analyzer. Caste and ethnic groups differed significantly with respect to hemoglobin concentration (P < 0.005) and heart rate response to submaximal exercise (P < 0.001), but not in anthropometric measurements. Among those ethnic groups accustomed to daily physical labor, i.e., the Newars and Tamangs, lower hemoglobin concentration was correlated significantly with higher heart rate, higher oxygen uptake, and lower mechanical efficiency during submaximal aerobic exercise.