Comparative efficacy of supplement and dietary supplement in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in Peruvian children.

Abstract

Introduction: Anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency in children under three years of age, affecting their cognitive and psychomotor development. It is necessary to identify innovative strategies for its prevention and effective short-term therapeutic treatment.
Objective: to compare the effectiveness of the consumption of Nutrihem versus Sprinkles in the treatment of anemia
in Peruvian children from 12 to 35 months of age.
Materials and Methods: under a quantitative approach,
an experimental design research, pragmatic clinical trial type without blinding, was developed. The sample was made up o 72 children from 12 to 35 months of age, with a diagnosis of mild or moderate iron deficiency anemia. They were randomly distributed into two experimental groups and a control group. The experimental groups received the Nutrihem dietary supplement or the Sprinkles supplement for a continuous period of 90 days. The hemoglobin level was determined with a calibrated portable hemoglobinometer, and was evaluated at the beginning and end of the intervention. To compare and evaluate effectiveness, the ANOVA statistical test and Dunnett’s
T3 post hoc test were used.
Results: At the beginning of the intervention, 84.7% had
mild anemia and 15.3% had moderate anemia. The experimental group that consumed the Nutrihem food supplement, at the end of the intervention increased its hemoglobin value by 1.52 g/dL, obtaining a p value = 0.001 (p <0.05); Likewise, 75% of the participants normalized their hemoglobin value according to age. The experimental group that consumed the Sprinkles supplement increased the hemoglobin value by 0.38 g/dL, obtaining a p value = 0.246 (p>0.05); 32% of children normalized their hemoglobin value.
Conclusion: The Nutrihem food supplement presented a
greater increase in hemoglobin level, and also presented
greater adherence to treatment; being an effective option for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in children.