Impact of hematinic supplementation on submaximal work capacity in underprivileged school girls (8–15 yrs)

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of prophylactic hematinic supplementation on selected parameters of physical work capacity (PWC), namely, blood lactate and pulse rate (PR) values in underprivileged school girls (8–15 yrs) with initial mean Hb of 10.42±0.09 g/dl. Eighty-three pairs of subjects matched for age, hemoglobin (Hb), body surface area, blood lactate and PR values before intervention were randomly assigned to either the treatment or placebo group. The treatment group received 60 mg elemental Fe/day as FeSO 4 for 60 days at the commencement of school terms I and II, and the placebo group received sugar tablets for the same time period. Hb levels and PWC parameters were assessed four months apart, at the initiation of the study, 0 month; at the end of school term I, 4th month; at the end of school term II, 8th month; and following a withdrawal of inputs, 12th month evaluation. Results indicated (a) on hematinic supplementation (4th and 8th month evaluations) there was a significant reduction in the pre-exercise and post-exercise blood lactate levels, relative to the placebo and baseline values, (b) clearcut benefit on PR values was observed in post-exercise values at 4th month and in pre- and post-exercise values only at 8th month, compared to baseline and placebo values, (c) a drop in PWC at 12th month evaluation indicated a need for continued hematinic dosing for underprivileged school girls, year after year.