Effect of iron and folate supplementation on haematocrit levels of school children in a rural area of Central Thailand

Abstract

A 3 month experimental period of iron and folate supplementation was carried out with children in primary schools. The gene frequency of HbE within this population was 0.21. The haematocrit value of 460 children was 36.3 ± 2.8% (mean ± SD) and 50% of them were found to be anaemic. The children were randomly divided and assigned to 4 supplementation groups: the first was on placebo, the second received 300 mg of ferrous gluconate daily, the third group was given 10 mg of folic acid daily while the fourth group received both ferrous gluconate and folic acid. There were no significant changes in mean haematocrit levels in any of the groups. Te reasons for the failure of iron folate supplementation to increase haematocrit levels in these children are discussed.