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Hemoglobin concentration measures on a sample of women of reproductive age including both pregnant and non-pregnant women (population based survey, surveillance system, or health facility clients). The gold standard for assessing hemoglobin is the direct cyanomethhemoglobin method, which requires access to a laboratory. However, indirect methods using a finger-prick blood sample can be administered as a low technology alternative (WHO, 2006). In areas where resources are lacking for the test kits, antenatal care (ANC) clinics can screen for anemia by clinical examination using a WHO developed color scale comparing the shade or color shade of blood with defined hues of red(WHO, 2006). Data should be provided with indications of the source (e.g., clinical records, surveys) and the method used for hemoglobin assessment in order to allow for comparisons, when needed.
Data can be disaggregated by age groups, parity, reproductive status (pregnant, lactating, and non-pregnant, non-lactating), trimester of pregnancy, level of severity of anemia, and where available, by relevant socioeconomic and demographic factors such as education, income, and urban/rural residence. In addition, altitude can affect hemoglobin levels and may warrant disaggregation or adjustments where wide ranges in altitude exist for a given population (WHO, 2001).