Effi cacy of iron-fortifi ed whole maize fl our on iron status of schoolchildren in Kenya : a randomised controlled trial

Methods 516 children, aged 3–8 years, from four schools in Marafa, Kenya, were randomly assigned to four groups. All were given the same amount of porridge fi ve times a week. The porridge for one group was made from unfortifi ed whole maize fl our; for the other three groups it was fortifi ed with either high-dose NaFeEDTA (56 mg/kg), low-dose NaFeEDTA (28 mg/kg), or electrolytic iron (56 mg/kg). Concentrations of haemoglobin, plasma ferritin, and transferrin receptor were analysed in samples taken at baseline and at the end of the 5-month intervention. The primary outcome was iron-defi ciency anaemia. We analysed data on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00386074.