Consumption of Fortified Wheat Flour and Associations with Anemia and Low Serum Ferritin in Colombia.

Abstract

Background: Colombia's mandatory wheat flour fortification program has yet to be evaluated.

Objective: Examine associations between consumption of fortified wheat flour and low serum ferritin (LSF) and anemia prevalence.

Materials and methods: A secondary analysis of the 2005 national nutrition survey (ENSIN) was completed for 3988 children 2-4 y, 5669 children 5-12 y and 2053 non-pregnant women 13-49 y. The relationship between consumption (quartiles) of wheat flour containing food (WFCF) and LSF and anemia was examined using chi-square analyses and logistic regression models.

Results: In unadjusted analyses, the prevalence of LSF was similar across all quartiles of WFCF consumption in all age groups. The highest prevalence of anemia was observed in the lowest WFCF consumption quartiles in all age groups, but was not significantly different in non-pregnant women 13-49 y. In adjusted models this relationship between WFCF and anemia remained for children 2-4 y when comparing the highest WFCF intake quartile with the lowest quartile (OR: 0.7, 95 % Cl: 0.6-0.9). No association between WFCF and LSF was observed in adjusted (or unadjusted) models.

Conclusions: In Colombia, consumption of wheat flour containing foods is associated with lower levels of anemia in pre-school children.