Evaluation of Nutrition Education for Improving Iron Status in Combination with Daily Iron Supplementation

Abstract

The effectiveness of nutrition education and unsupervised daily iron supplementation on iron status was studied in adolescent schoolgirls of low socio-economic status. Baseline knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to nutrition and iron status were assessed in 915 girls attending schools in an urban and a rural area of Sri Lanka. Girls in intervention schools received nutrition education and ferrous sulphate or a placebo and were requested to take one tablet per day. Subjects in control schools did not receive any intervention. All subjects were reassessed after 10 weeks. Educational intervention resulted in significant increases in knowledge of nutrition and in iron status among girls in both areas. Good compliance was noted with both iron supplements and the placebo. Iron status was more improved in the groups receiving iron supplementation than in the groups receiving education only, indicating the effectiveness of unsupervised supplementation when combined with nutrition education. The short-term sustainability of intervention was higher in the rural area than in the urban area.