Iron supplementation for school-age children

Abstract

Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia and is associated with adverse physical and cognitive effects. Iron supplementation programs can be interventions that address iron deficiency. There is strong evidence that iron supplementation reduces cases of anemia and weak to moderate quality evidence that it increases cognitive ability in school-age children while receiving supplementation, although it is unlikely that it permanently increases cognitive ability. Iron supplementation programs may be cost-effective in contexts with low malaria prevalence, but there are highly uncertain assumptions and key factors that require more information. Also, iron supplementation programs might be associated with an increased risk of malaria and gastrointestinal side effects. – AI-generated abstract.