Intervention of Iron-folic Acid in School children

Iron and folate deficiency is an important cause of anaemia among young children. Folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. This is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as infancy and pregnancy. The aim of this study was to estimate the magnitude of iron deficiency and the improvement in the Hb level by alternate day IFA supplementation. It was observed that amongst 65 students, 63% were found to be anaemic. After alternate day IFA supplementation for 1 month the prevalence decreased to 48.4% with overall increase in mean Hb of 0.59 gm%, from 11.29 to 11.88.