LEMON (CITRUS MEDICA) INFLUENCES INCREASING LEVELS OF HEMOGLOBIN IN ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Background : Adolescence is a period where growth occurs rapidly, so that nutritional needs during this period also increase. One nutrient whose needs are increased is iron (Arma, 2007). Women need higher iron intake compared to men. Because of this very high female iron requirement, women are at risk of developing iron deficiency, which can later develop into anemia. Anemia is a decrease in the quantity of red blood cells in the circulation or the amount of hemoglobin is below the normal limit. Symptoms that are often experienced include lethargy, weakness, dizziness, dizzy eyes, and pale face. Anemia can cause various effects on adolescents, among others, reduce the body's resistance so that it is susceptible to disease, decreased activity and learning achievement due to lack of concentration (Permaesih, 2005). Purpose : from this study was to determine the effectiveness of lemon (Citrus Medica) to increase hemoglobin levels. Research Method : This study is a quasi-experimental one group pre test post test. The sampling technique is purposive sampling. The number of respondents was 17 respondents. Analytical tests use one sample T-test where the normality test is done first. Research Results : From the results of the first examination, 3 respondents experienced mild anemia and after consuming lemon for three weeks increased an average of 2.73 grams%. The results of the normality test of data using Shapiro Wilk obtained a sig value> 0.05, which means that the data is normally distributed, then one sample t-test is performed, and the significant results of lemon on the Hb level increase with the value of sig 0,000. Conclusion : The conclusion of this study is that giving lemon juice has an effect on increasing hemoglobin levels in adolescents with an average Hb increase of 0.6 gram%.