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Publications

Journal Article Epublish

PubMed: 41503041 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1696787

PRAYAS: individual patient data meta-analysis database for Pooled Research and Analysis for Yielding Anemia-free Solutions in India.

Front Public Health 13:1696787

Authors: Anuj Kumar Pandey, Anju Pradhan Sinha, Ramu Rawat, Ranadip Chowdhury, Shivaprasad S Goudar, Jitender Nagpal, Shrey Desai, Avula Laxmaiah, Kalpana Basany, Sadhana Joshi, Chittaranjan Yajnik, Aparna Mukherjee, Pratibha Dwarkanath, Priyanka Gupta Bansal, Molly Jacob, Shinjini Bhatnagar, Komal Shah, Debarati Mukherjee, Amlin Shukla, Raghu Pullakhandam, Varsha Dhurde, Aditi Apte, Rajeev Singh, Aakriti Gupta, Yamini Priyanka, Usha Dhingra, Ravi Prakash Upadhyay, Sutapa Bandyopadhyay Neogi, Manjunath S Somannavar, Anirban Mandal, Gayatri Desai, Shantanu Sengupta, Shailendra Dandge, Girija Wagh, Urmila Deshmukh, Gunjan Kumar, Anura V Kurpad, G S Toteja, Nikhitha Mariya John, Shailaja Sopory, Somen Saha, Giridhar R Babu, Anandika Suryavanshi, Ravindranadh Palika, Archana Patel, Radhika Nimkar, Gaurav Raj Dwivedi, Umesh Kapil, Dilip Raja, Arup Dutta … and 52 other authors

Affiliations

  • Department of Health Systems and Implementation Research, International Institute of Health Management Research, New Delhi, India.
  • Indian Council for Medical Research, New Delhi, India.
  • Centre for Public Health Kinetics, New Delhi, India.
  • Society for Applied Studies, New Delhi, India.
  • J N Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
  • Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research New Delhi (SBISR), New Delhi, India.
  • Society for Education, Welfare and Action-Rural, Bharuch, India.
  • ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India.
  • SHARE India, MediCiti Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India.
  • Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed to be University, Pune, India.
  • KEM Hospital Research Centre, Pune, India.
  • St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, India.
  • Christian Medical College, Vellore, India.
  • Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, Haryana, India.
  • Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, India.
  • Public Health Foundation of India, Bangalore, India.
  • Lata Medical Research Foundation, Nagpur, India.
  • Vadu Rural Health Program, KEM Hospital Research Centre, Pune, India.
  • ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Gorakhpur, India.
  • All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi, India.
  • Bharati Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India.
  • Department of Population Medicine, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

Abstract

PURPOSE

The PRAYAS Individual Patient Data Meta-analysis (IPD-MA) database aims to estimate the prevalence of anemia among children under 18 years, non-pregnant and non-lactating (NPNL) women, and pregnant women (by trimester), with further stratification by age group, year, and region of India. Beyond prevalence, it seeks to address the etiological contribution of iron and other erythropoietic micronutrient deficiencies and to evaluate the effectiveness of anemia prevention and treatment interventions, including factors associated with non-response. This will directly support India's "test-treat-track" approach under the Anemia Mukt Bharat program.

PARTICIPANTS

Children (0-18 years), pregnant women, and NPNL women in India.

FINDINGS TO DATE

The database currently includes 88 datasets (1994-2023), with 319,721 participants for prevalence analysis-children (19,762), NPNL women (17,883), and pregnant women (282,076). Intervention studies comprise 59,292 participants-children (13,435), NPNL women (11,594), and pregnant women (34,263). Over half the datasets (55.7%, 49/88) are randomized controlled trials, while 35.2% (31/88) are observational. Geographically, 43.2% (38/88) are from northern India, 22.7% (20/88) from the west, and 18.2% (16/88) from the south. Most studies (67%, 59/88) are community-based. Median ages were 26 years (IQR 23-32) for NPNL and 23 years (IQR 21-25) for pregnant women, while children's data covered 6 months to 18 years. Mean gestational age at enrollment in pregnancy was 10.24 weeks (SD 17.65). Of the total sample, 10.8% had complete blood count data, 9% ferritin, and 4.5% vitamin B12.Among interventions, pregnant women received intravenous iron sucrose, ferric carboxymaltose, iron isomaltoside, combined IV iron with vitamin B12/folic acid/niacinamide, integrated packages, and low-dose calcium supplementation. NPNL women were often part of trials comparing 60 mg daily ferrous sulfate with 120 mg on alternate days. Children's interventions mainly included ferrous sulfate, food supplementation, and select Ayush-based approaches.

FUTURE PLANS

PRAYAS will generate robust, policy-relevant evidence to refine anemia prevention and treatment strategies. Findings will directly inform the Anemia Mukt Bharat program, supporting targeted, evidence-driven interventions to reduce anemia and associated health burdens across children, women, and pregnant populations in India.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

OSF-https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/6YRXF.

MeSH

Pregnant Women, Anemia, Vitamins, Public Health, Solutions, Prevalence, Research, Therapeutics, Child