Effect of School-Based Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Program on the Serum Folate Status of Adolescent...

BackgroundIn Ethiopia, a school-based weekly iron and folic acid supplementation (WIFAS) program is being implemented to reduce burden of anemia in adolescent girls. While the program's impact on iron levels is well-studied, there is limited evidence on its effect on folate status.ObjectiveThe study was aimed at assessing the effect of the WIFAS on serum folate levels of school adolescent girls in Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia.MethodsA school-based cross-sectional study that compared the serum folate concentration among adolescent girls (10-19 years) enrolled in schools with (n = 165) and without (n = 165) the WIFAS program was carried out. Adolescent girls from both groups were sampled using multistage sampling procedure. The serum folate was compared between the 2 groups using mixed effects linear regression model.ResultsThe study presented significantly higher mean (±standard deviation) serum folate concentration among girls from schools implementing the WIFAS program (9.76 ± 4.02 ng/mL) than their counterparts (7.38 ± 4.53 ng/mL) (β = 2.28, P < .001). The mean hemoglobin level was also higher in the WIFAS arm (13.07 ± 1.81 g/dL) than the comparator group (12.4 ± 1.93 g/dL (β = 0.86, P = .034).ConclusionThe school-based WIFAS program showed positive association with serum folate and hemoglobin concentration in adolescent girls. This evidence should be used for advocating the scale-up of the program to areas with high prevalence of anemia and folic acid deficiencies.