Switch to हिंदी

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

Health, Fitness, Beauty & Diet | Pregnancy & Parenting | Diseases & Home Remedies | TheHealthSite.com

हिंदी
  • Health A-Z
  • Diabetes
  • Diseases
    • Type 1 Diabetes
    • Type 2 Diabetes
    • Cancer
    • Heart Attack
    • Pneumonia
    • Diseases A-Z
  • Diet & Fitness
    • Weight Management
    • Exercise & Body Building
    • Diet & Recipes
    • Yoga
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Pregnancy
    • Conceiving
    • Infertility
    • Labour & Delivery
    • Pregnancy week-by-week
    • Breastfeeding
    • Baby Names
  • Beauty
    • Skin
    • Hair
    • Grooming
  • Photos
  • Videos
Home / Health News / Will the iron and folic acid supplementation plan work this time?

Will the iron and folic acid supplementation plan work this time?

That is the question because it has been tried before. Today The Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation Programme for Adolescents is all set to be launched with much fanfare including full-page ads in

By: Nirmalya Dutta   | | Updated: October 7, 2014 6:10 pm
Tags: Adolescent anaemia  Children's health  IFA tablets  Indian Council of Medical Research  Iron folic acid  NRHM  Villi  

Iron-folic acid-anaemiaThat is the question because it has been tried before. Today The Weekly Iron Folic Acid Supplementation Programme for Adolescents is all set to be launched with much fanfare including full-page ads in major broadsheet papers but the question is – will it work this time? Also Read - Genes linked to common brain disorder, Chiari 1 malformation, identified

Folic Acid SupplementsChild malnutrition is currently one of India’s biggest health problems and it’s nothing less than a matter of natural shame that every other child is stunted or wasted due to an improper diet while growing up. The current prevalence rate of anaemia is 80% in children (56% of girls and 30% of boys) and 70% in pregnant women suffer from anaemia which is mostly due to lack of iron. This isn’t only a problem that afflicts children and pregnant women but even adolescents resulting in poor physical growth, poorer academic performance and diminished concentration in daily tasks impacting overall capacity and well-being. (Read: Dangers of adolescent pregnancies) Also Read - Kids turning hypertensive: Get your child screened for early detection



In adolescent girls, it also increases the risk of preterm deliveries giving birth to babies with low weight (adolescent pregnancies are one of India’s harsh realities considering the high number of child marriages).  33% of all maternal deaths in India take place in the 15 to 24 age group and Health Ministry believes that these numbers can be brought down by regular folic acid supplementation.Providing supplementation isn’t everything and sessions on Nutrition and Health Education are also being planned at schools and Anganwadi to inform and counsel caregivers and students about nutrition and related health issues. The programme will cover 13 crore adolescents and is one of the most ambitious health plans to be rolled out since the National Rural Health Mission was launched in 2005.  Also Read - Another virus from China can spread disease in India: ICMR

Is the plan doomed for failure?

However, there are many who don’t think the IFA tablets are going to change anything. A.K. Susheela, director of Flourosis Research and Rural Development Foundation in New Delhi said ‘old wine in new bottles is unlikely to change anything. IFA supplementation to pregnant women visiting antenatal clinics was introduced in 1970 throughout the country, since anaemia in pregnancy leads to birth of underweight babies.  But a survey by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 1986 found no change in the prevalence of anaemia and so, from 1992, the dosage of iron was increased from 60 mg to 100 mg’.

Susheela pointed out that Gujarat introduced iron supplementation for adolescent girls a decade ago, but the programme miserably failed.  ‘The Municipal Corporation of Delhi introduced the same, no one knows the outcome,’ she said.

She said she is surprised at the attempt to re-introduce this failed programme even though the ICMR is aware that taking IFA tablets does not help combat anaemia, unless the intake of fluoride through food and water is simultaneously reduced.  Of India’s 35 states and union territories, 19 are ‘endemic’ areas for fluorosis, the main cause being fluoride-laden water derived from deep bore wells.  ‘The chemical fluoride not only decreases production of red blood cells by the bone marrow but also destroys microvilli – the microscopic protrusions lining the intestine – resulting in poor absorption of nutrients critical for the biosynthesis of haemoglobin,’ Susheela explained. (Read: What ails India’s healthcare system)

In other words, IFA tablets will not help in checking anaemia as long as the fluoride intake is not reduced, she said.  Considering the huge cost involved in purchase and distribution of the IFA tablets, she hoped the proposed scheme to be implemented by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) does not become another scandal, especially when her foundation has successfully demonstrated a simpler strategy to tackle anaemia in school children as well as in pregnant women.  ‘Our strategy only requires withdrawal of fluoride consumption and a nutritive diet (with essential and micronutrients) through vegetables, fruits and dairy products,’ she said.

With inputs from agencies and Press Information Bureau 

Published : July 17, 2013 3:22 pm | Updated:October 7, 2014 6:10 pm
Read Disclaimer

Did the Supreme Court do the right thing by refusing to lower the juvenile age to 16?

Did the Supreme Court do the right thing by refusing to lower the juvenile age to 16?

Bihar midday meal tragedy: The food turned killer, wails woman whose sons died

Bihar midday meal tragedy: The food turned killer, wails woman whose sons died

Please Wait. Article Loading ....

Coronavirus Updates

Coronavirus Updates

Stay Informed, Be Safe

  • Increase your omega-3 intake to reduce death risk due to Covid-19
  • COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 10,676,838 while death toll reaches 1,53,587
  • Planning for a trip? In-flight spread of coronavirus possible during long-haul travel, says study
  • Don’t expect to get rid of coronavirus by 2021: WHO warns of continued Covid-19 transmission
  • Recovered from Covid-19? Your immune system may fight coronavirus variants

Health Calculators

BMI Calculator
bmi Calculator
Ideal Body Weight
ideal body weight
Daily Calorie Intake
Daily calorie intake
Calories Burned
calories burned

Related Stories

Genes linked to common brain disorder, Chiari 1 malformation, identified

Genes linked to common brain disorder, Chiari 1 malformation, identified

Kids turning hypertensive: Get your child screened for early detection

Kids turning hypertensive: Get your child screened for early detection

Another virus from China can spread disease in India: ICMR

Another virus from China can spread disease in India: ICMR

Kids who take steroids at increased risk for diabetes: Know the other side effects of this medication

Kids who take steroids at increased risk for diabetes: Know the other side effects of this medication

Iron deficiency in children: Prevention tips for parents

Iron deficiency in children: Prevention tips for parents

Health News in Hindi

नसों में तेज दर्द से फट सकती है शरीर की कोई भी नस! ऐसे पहचानें दर्द का कारण

Oolong Tea: वजन कम करने के लिए चीन के लोग पीते हैं ऊलांग टी, इस हर्बल चाय के हैं कई फायदे

LIVE Covid-19 Live Updates: भारत में कोरोना के मरीजों की संख्या हुई 10,689,527 अब तक 1,53,724 लोगों की मौत

दिन में 5 कप चाय पीने से तेज होती है याददाश्त? साइंस ने माना ये चाय देती है सबसे ज्यादा फायदा

Vaccination Drive: वैक्‍सीन लेने के बाद भी आप दूसरों को फैला सकते हैं कोरोना, टीका लगने के 3 हफ्तों तक बरतें ये सावधानियां

Read All

Recent Posts

  • Increase your omega-3 intake to reduce death risk due to Covid-19
  • COVID-19 Live Updates: Cases in India surge to 10,676,838 while death toll reaches 1,53,587
  • Don’t expect to get rid of coronavirus by 2021: WHO warns of continued Covid-19 transmission
  • Planning for a trip? In-flight spread of coronavirus possible during long-haul travel, says study
  • Beware! Air pollution can lead to irreversible blindness. Here’s how to stay safe

About The health Site

TheHealthSite.com is India's largest health site with more than 40 lakh unique visitors per month. We focus on fitness, beauty, health, pregnancy and more.

Most popular health and wellness website in India in 2012 at the Website of the year awards.

health@corp.india.com
+91 – 22 – 6697 1234
Landline Phone number 91 – 22 – 2490 0302.

ZEE ENTERTAINMENT ENTERPRISES LTD, 18th floor, A-Wing, Marathon Futurex, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400013.

Useful Links

  • Weight Loss
  • Keto Diet Tips
  • Skin Care Tips
  • Intermittent Fasting
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Ashwagandha
  • Cancer
  • Pneumonia
  • Diarrhoea
  • Dengue
  • Typhoid
  • Tuberculosis
  • Chickenpox
  • Chikungunya
  • Depression
  • Hepatitis
  • Diabetes
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Arthritis
  • Swine Flu
  • Baby Names
  • Cough and cold
  • Heart Attack
  • Breast Cancer
  • Ebola Virus
  • Dengue
  • Malaria
  • International Yoga Day
  • Hypotension
  • Heart Failure
  • Asthma
  • Brain Tumour
  • Celebrity Fitness
  • Goitre
  • HIV/AIDS

We respect your privacy

  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Author Profiles

Copyright © 2021 Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. All rights reserved.