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Cluster‐randomised trial of the impact of school‐based deworming and iron supplementation on the cognitive abilities of schoolchildren in S ri L anka's plantation sector
Author(s) -
Ebenezer Roshini,
Gunawardena Kithsiri,
Kumarendran Balachandran,
Pathmeswaran Arunasalam,
Jukes Matthew C. H.,
Drake Lesley J.,
Silva Nilanthi
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
tropical medicine and international health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1365-3156
pISSN - 1360-2276
DOI - 10.1111/tmi.12128
Subject(s) - deworming , placebo , medicine , anthelmintic , cluster randomised controlled trial , demography , randomized controlled trial , immunology , veterinary medicine , helminths , alternative medicine , pathology , sociology
Objective To assess the impact of deworming and iron supplementation on the cognitive abilities and educational achievement of school‐age children in S ri L anka. Methods Prospective, placebo‐controlled randomised study. The treatment group received deworming and weekly iron supplementation for 6 months; the control group received placebo for both the anthelmintic and iron. A mixed effects regression model was used to answer the main research question. To increase the precision of this study's estimates, various background variables were controlled for that were not related to treatment but could have some impact on the outcome. Results The prevalence of soil‐transmitted helminth ( STH ) infection was reduced in the treatment group ( n = 615), with significant differences between treatment and control groups ( n = 575) in the levels of A scaris and T richuris . No impact was found on haemoglobin (Hb) levels, nor any significant impact on concentration levels or on educational test scores. Conclusion Decline in STH prevalence alone, in the absence of improved Hb status, produced no evidence of impact on concentration levels or educational test scores.