The effectiveness of a group education program for decreasing the number of anemic pregnant women enrolled in a community nutrition program is best indicated by:

The effectiveness of a group education program aimed at decreasing the number of anemic pregnant women is best indicated by an increase in hematocrit or hemoglobin levels. Hematocrit and hemoglobin are direct measures of the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood and are key indicators of anemia status. When the education program successfully impacts dietary behavior by promoting iron-rich foods, increasing knowledge of nutrition, and encouraging adherence to supplementation, one would expect to see tangible improvements in these blood parameters.

Monitoring hemoglobin and hematocrit levels allows healthcare providers to evaluate the immediate physiological benefits of the nutritional changes the program aims to promote. Increases in these levels can demonstrate that the intervention is effectively addressing the underlying nutritional deficiencies that contribute to anemia during pregnancy.

While an increase in dietary intake is certainly a positive outcome of the education program, it does not directly measure whether the intervention has effectively reduced anemia. Similarly, a decrease in pregnancy complications and improved pregnancy outcomes are important but are more long-term indicators that result from improved nutritional status; these may not reflect the immediacy with which changes in anemia can be measured through hematocrit or hemoglobin levels. Therefore, the most direct indicator related to the specific goal of decreasing anemia among pregnant women is indeed the enhancement of