1.

) Situation statement
The problem we chose to address is iron deficiency in female adolescents. Iron is
needed to make the protein hemoglobin in blood which delivers oxygen to the body. With lower
hemoglobin levels in the blood, less oxygen is able to be transported to working muscles and
tissues. General fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, and headaches are all
common symptoms of iron deficiency. Adolescent girls are more at risk for iron deficiency
because of the beginning of menses (more blood loss) and because they are growing.
Iron-deficiency is caused by the lack of iron in the diet. Heme iron is most readily
absorbed by the body, and is found in meats, poultry, and fish. Iron deficiency in adolescents is
a problem because blood volume and muscle mass are expanding during this stage of life,
which are dependent on iron levels. Lower income or food insecure households are less likely to
have adequate amount of iron in their diet due to less financially ability to buy foods rich in iron.
These households are more concerned with simply having enough food, and are less likely to
make adequate iron intake a priority.
The individual adolescent female is most affected by the iron deficiency; their bodies
cannot store as much iron as males, and they lose more blood during menstruation. In addition,
more iron is needed during adolescents to support the growth of red blood cells and lean body
mass. Iron deficiency can cause severe fatigue, which could affect performance in school,
sports and other extracurricular activities. Iron deficiency can also be exacerbated by physical
activity because of the higher oxygen demand on the body. Iron deficiency may also cause a
decrease in immune function as well as decreased intellectual performance.
Iron deficiency can hurt performance in school and keep female adolescents from
participating in sports or physical activity. This raises concern from school board members, as
well as state and local government. Poor performance in school and in standardized tests can
financially hurt whole school districts, and lower academic rankings.
Iron deficiency among female adolescents negatively affects school performance in the
form of lower math, verbal attention, learning, and mental balance scores. They also have lower
IQ scores than their non iron deficient comparers. Iron deficiency is independently leads to
decreased cognitive scores1. Instead of iron store depletion, inadequate levels of dietary iron
contributes to lower hemoglobin levels2. Anemia is the greatest nutritional problem in
adolescence, and is essential for many physiological functions
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3872396/
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16837427
3. http://www.unscn.org/layout/modules/resources/files/AnemiaEngWEB.pdf
2. Outcomes
With the program, we hope to increase awareness of what iron deficiency is and the
consequences of iron deficiency. We want to encourage the consumption of iron rich foods and
teach individuals how to identify signs and symptoms related to iron deficiency. We want the
participants to learn how to choose iron-rich foods and the importance of adequate iron intake
as a method to prevent iron deficiency. We also want participants to be able to identify possible