DUAL FORTIFICATION OF SALT WITH IRON AND IODINE IN WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN RURAL GHANA

Objective: To test the effi cacy of double-fortifi ed salt (DFS) on the anaemia and iodine defi ciency (ID) status of women and their children. Design: Double-blind randomised controlled trial. Setting: Sekyere West District of Ghana. Subjects: In this eight-month trial, mildly anaemic or non-anaemic, non-pregnant, non-lactating women were randomised into three groups receiving: DFS plus weekly placebo (n = 61); iodised salt plus weekly 70 mg iron supplement (n = 65); or iodised salt (IS) plus weekly placebo (control group, n = 58). Correspondingly, their mildly anaemic and non-anaemic children aged 1-5 years were randomised into two groups receiving either the DFS (n = 23) or IS alone (control group, n = 59). Results: At the end of the intervention, prevalence of anaemia in women remained unchanged in the DFS or IS plus weekly iron supplement group, but signifi cantly increased by 19.5 % in the control group (P = 0.039). In children, prevalence of anaemia in the DFS group signifi cantly decreased by 21.7 % (P = 0.025) while no change was observed in the control group. ID decreased signifi cantly in all groups of women (P < 0.001) and children (P < 0.05), with no difference amon