Weekly vs daily iron and folic acid supplementation in adolescent Nepalese girls

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of weekly vs daily iron and folic acid supplementation for control of anemia in adolescent Nepalese girls. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: A Government Girl School in Dharan, Nepal, an urban foothill town that is 305 m above sea level. Subjects: Consecutive healthy adolescent girls (n=209, median age 15 years) randomized to 3 groups matched for age, anthropometry, and personal and sociodemographic characteristics. Of 209 subjects, 181 completed the trial. Two girls had adverse reactions to treatment and were excluded. Intervention: Group A (n=70) received a 350-mg ferrous sulfate and 1.5-mg folic acid combination once daily for 90 to 100 days. Group B (n=67) received the tablet under supervision once a week for 14 weeks. Group C (n=72) did not receive any drugs. Outcome Variable: Presupplementation and post-supplementation differences in prevalence of anemia and change in hematocrit. Results: Prevalence of anemia (defined as hematocrit<36%) declined from 68.6% and 70.1% in groups A and B to 20% and 13.4%, respectively, postsupplementation (P