Effect of Nutrition Education and Diet Modification in Iron Depleted Preschool Children in Nurseries in Tehran: a Pilot Study

In view of the high prevalence of iron deficiency in preschool children and its consequences, this study was carried out to examine the effect of nutrition education and dietary modification on 438 two- to six-year-old nursery school children in Tehran in 1999. Sixty-two children who were judged anemic, iron-depleted, or having low iron stores were randomly allocated to "control", "dietary modification" (consuming one additional citrus fruit after lunch), and "nutrition education" (teaching the mothers proper eating patterns based on the food pyramid) groups. Food habits were surveyed, including 24-hour dietary recall and food frequency, as well as timing of consumption of special items; this survey was carried out for each child before and after intervention. After three months, blood samples were taken from the subjects. The prevalence of anemia, iron depletion, and low iron stores was 11.4, 62.8, and 15.1% respectively, with no significant differences observed in hemoglobin and percent transferrin saturation (%TS) between the groups. Mean ± SD serum ferritin concentrations in "control", "diet modification", and "nutrition education" groups were 8.9 ± 3.1, 9.5 ± 3.7, and 6.9 ± 2.3 mug/dL. The same figures at the end of intervention were 6.9 ± 3.5, 11.2 ± 5, and 10.7 ± 5.9 mug/dL, respectively. Analysis of variance showed ferritin concentrations to be significantly different, in that there was a reduction in the control and elevation in the nutrition education groups. There was no significant difference in %TS before and after the intervention. During three months of intervention, changes in frequency of fruit and fruit juice intake after the meals in nutrition education and diet modification groups were significantly correlated to serum ferritin alteration. Frequency of fruit juice intake (rich in vitamin C) after meals (at least five times a week) can significantly increase serum ferritin within three months. Therefore, educating mothers of iron-deficient children while increasing the iron stores in children can prevent the recurrence of iron deficiency and result in general child wellbeing.