Low Compliance of Iron Supplementation in Infancy and Relation to Socioeconomic Status in Israel

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate the compliance of parents in purchasing iron-containing drugs for their infants. In addition, we looked for possible socioeconomic characteristics of the parents who prevent their infants from accessing these medications. Design. All infants (4–12 months) whose parents bought (from January to August 1999 and from January to August 2000) the iron-containing drugs as recommended by the Israeli Ministry of Health were retrieved from a database. The socioeconomic status of the citizens was determined according to the “mean real income” (INCMV) and “relative income” (INCMS). The percentage of parents who purchased the medication from each district was compared with the socioeconomic status of this population. Results. Forty-four pediatricians’ offices in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area were included. The data of 4929 infants was summarized. Only 27% of the parents bought the drugs. Only 11.5% to 20% of parents from the 5 highest socioeconomic classes purchased the medication compared with 43.6% to 57.1% of the parents from the 5 lowest socioeconomic classes. Conclusion. There was low compliance by parents in obtaining iron-containing medications for their infants, mainly among parents from high socioeconomic classes.