UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Anaemia burden — iron alone is no solution

Q1. With reference to the causes of anaemia, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Sickle cell disorders cause anaemia because the body cannot synthesise enough haemoglobin, whereas thalassaemias arise from a change in the structure of the haemoglobin molecule.
  2. Deficiency of folate or vitamin B12 can cause anaemia even in a person whose iron intake is adequate.
  3. Chronic inflammation and chronic disease can lower haemoglobin levels without any shortfall in dietary iron.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Common salt is the food vehicle recommended by WHO for population-wide prevention of iodine deficiency.
  2. Iodine deficiency can cause goitre and, when it occurs during pregnancy, cretinism in the child.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. Suppose a government relies mainly on iron-fortified salt to reduce anaemia prevalence among women and children. Consider the following conditions: Which of the conditions given above would tend to reduce the effectiveness of this approach in lowering anaemia prevalence?

  1. Salt consumption varies widely across households and income groups.
  2. Average salt intake in the population is well above WHO's recommended limit.
  3. A substantial share of anaemia in the population arises from causes other than iron deficiency.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. India's NCD action plan commits to a 30% relative reduction in mean population salt intake. With reference to this target, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. Because higher sodium intake raises blood pressure, meeting the target would be expected to lower the population's hypertension and cardiovascular risk.
  2. If average intake is about twice the WHO limit of 5 g per day, meeting the target would still leave average intake above that limit.
  3. Meeting the target requires the proportion of adults consuming more than 5 g of salt a day to fall by 30 percentage points.
  4. A State with a higher baseline salt intake would need a larger cut in grams per day than a State with a lower baseline to meet the same target.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 2, 3 and 4 only

Q5. Consider the following assertion: An anaemia strategy that combines supplementation, deworming, testing and treatment of non-nutritional causes across several population groups is better suited to India than reliance on a single iron-fortified food. Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

  1. Anaemia arising from malaria or from inherited haemoglobin disorders is not corrected by raising iron intake.
  2. Population groups such as young children, adolescents and pregnant women differ in their needs and in the platforms through which they can be reached.
  3. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional cause of anaemia.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q6. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. WHO advises countries practising universal salt iodization to refrain from setting population salt-reduction targets, so that iodine intake is not compromised.
  2. The iodine concentration in salt can be adjusted upward so that iodine intake stays adequate when salt consumption falls.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct