Would it be okay to use the em dash in the following context? "...significantly reported higher rates of anemia—a deficiency of red blood cells or of hemoglobin in the blood, resulting in pallor and weariness. They also consistently reported lower rates in..." I think it seems fine but I just want to double-check I'm using this dash correctly. Thanks!
it's ok... a comma or parentheses would also do... what you use could depend on the 'tone' of the piece... professional or casual, fiction or non-fiction may make a difference...
"...significantly reported higher rates of anemia, a deficiency of red blood cells or of hemoglobin in the blood, resulting in pallor and weariness; they also consistently reported lower rates in..." This seems better to me, or maybe it's my love of ";"