Bad eating habits, not eating the right food, consuming junk and fatty food and an effort to stay slim with strict dietary intake are some of the reasons given for women and children suffering from Anemia and Iron Deficiency.

It has been revealed in the Health Ministry's survey results that more women aged 20 to 24 years are underweight as women living in the urban areas tend to be very conscious of their figure and more Fijian women in the urban areas are suffering from this problem.

It has also been noted that many people suffering from Anemia are under-privileged and these people do not have enough intake of food high in iron. The report also shows that more vegetarians are at a higher risk of iron deficiency as red meat, poultry, fish and other animal products are the richest sources of iron.

The survey shows that Iron-rich foods such as shellfish and ota are often consumed in rural Fijian homes rather than urban Fijian homes now and hardly eaten in Indian homes. Also dark green leafy vegetables mainly Bele and rourou, citrus fruit and other fruits are high in iron and vitamins which are not often consumed by Indo Fijians families.

The Health Ministry is calling on people to eat more green vegetables and fruits as they are only depending on dhal, tea, and curry.