The Supplementation Effects of Iron and Folic Acid Compared with the Multivitamin and Mineral on Female Workers of Childbearing Age in the Pineapple Agribusiness

Abstract

Female workers of childbearing age (WUS) as a major of human resources in many agribusiness exposed to anemia. This study aims to improve the iron status of anemic WUS workers with low hemoglobin (Hb) levels, who work in a pineapple agribusiness by iron supplementation. This study was conducted two periods, using a double-blind randomized trial design. Subjects were divided into two treatment groups supplements, namely IF that was given iron + folic acid and MVM that was given multi vitamin and mineral containing 15 different vitamins and minerals including iron and folic acid. The subjects of period-1 were 25 married WUS (IF=13, MVM=12) and of period-2 were 15 single WUS (BF=7, MVM=8). Supplementation performed three times weekly for 10 weeks. After supplementation, the levels of Hb, haematocrit (Hc) and serum ferritin of BF-group increased, whereas there were declines in MVM-group. The increase in Hb and Hc in married WUS was higher than the single. However, their Hb was fallen down when supplementation was continued without supervision and getting down when not given the supplements anymore. Supplementation with iron is a must for WUS workers, because they are not able to increase their Hb if only rely on their food.

Keywords

• BF
• childbearing age
• female workers
• MVM