In the third Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS), it was estimated that around 79% of Indian preschool children were anemic and the prevalence of anemia have remained stable or slightly increased in recent years despite impressive economic development in India
Worldwide, approximately half of all anemia cases are due to iron deficiency but deficiencies of other nutrients such as folate and vitamin B12 are also common and probably play a role in childhood anemia.
In a recent report from this study in India, we found that folate and vitamin B12 status along with iron were associated with anemia
This manuscript reports on the effect of the interventions on the Hb concentration and iron status at end of study which were predefined secondary outcomes of this study.
The main objective of this report is to measure to what extent folate or vitamin B12 given daily for 6 months to young North Indian Children improves hemoglobin (Hb) concentration.