Weekly dose of iron-folate supplementation with vitamin-C in the workplace can prevent anaemia in women employees. | [Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences • 2013]

Author(s):

1. Bobby Joseph: Division of Occupational Health Services, Department of Community Health, St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India

2. Naveen Ramesh: Division of Occupational Health Services, Department of Community Health, St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore, India

Abstract:

Objective:To assess if a weekly dose of iron and folic acid along with vitamin C, in the workplace would reduce the prevalence of anaemia. Methodology: A multi-pronged intervention was carried out to reduce the prevalence of anaemia among workers of 7 apparel manufacturing factories using a regime consisting of a supervised single dose of albendazole (400mg) followed by a weekly dose of dried ferrous sulphate (150mg), folic acid (0.5mg) and vitamin C (100mg). Workers were provided information on the causes of anaemia and its prevention. The total duration of the intervention was 16 weeks. Haemoglobin levels of a randomly selected sample of workers were tested before and after the intervention using a computerized non-cyan-meth-haemoglobin method. Results: Of the 10810 workers who were enrolled a sample of 515 workers was randomly selected for the blood investigations. At the end of the intervention (18 weeks after the first blood sample was collected) only 361 out of the 515 who had been enrolled a little more than 16 weeks earlier still remained in the factories and among women 279 out of 385 enrolled were still working in the factories. In the 385 unmatched samples the number of anaemic women had reduced from 141 before the intervention to 79 after – mean haemoglobin increasing from 12.2 to 13.0 (p

Page(s): 47-52

DOI: DOI not available

Published: Journal: Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, Volume: 29, Issue: 1, Year: 2013

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