Contribution of Eating Habits Behavior in Women Towards Iron Nutrition Anemia

Abstract

Iron nutrition anemia is still a major nutrition problem in Indonesia, especially that happens in women of productive age. Various attempts have been made to overcome, but the result is not quite satisfactory, so it needs to review how the most appropriate response. Based on some of the research results conducted by the writer on the study of eating habits in women, suggesting that women generally have less good eating habits for various reasons, so it has the impact on health that results in anemia. Anemia is a term used in a state of decline in hemoglobin concentration in the blood caused by a lack of iron required for the formation of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a substance in red, it is in the form of solution in the red blood cells, whose main function is to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Hemoglobin formation is strongly influenced by the intake of nutrient, especially from the food containing nutrients needed by the body, which refers to the balanced nutrition menu. The fact that there is in the Java community, especially in rural area is still attached to the eating habits oriented to the gender discrimination, namely,  prioritizes the father as head of the family, then boys, girls, and mother gets the final turn and always succumbs in the distribution of family meal. This case is unwittingly, will gradually form a pattern of eating habits in women that is not healthy, which will be detrimental to their own  health condition and the children are born with a variety of risks that are very detrimental to the future generation. One of ways to change or shift the eating habits, is recommended through the nutrition education and training for women of productive age, especially marginal women.

Keywords: Eating habits behavior, iron nutrition anemia