Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40459111›Full record

ArticleAfrican journal of primary health care & family medicine2025

Iron supplementation in children to prevent deficiency and anaemia: A qualitative synthesis.

Denny Mabetha, Idriss I Kallon, Marianne Visser, Celeste Naude, Willem Odendaal, Amanda S Brand, Sara Cooper

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Denny MabethaMRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; and Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town. denny.mabetha@wits.ac.za.
Idriss I Kallon
Marianne Visser
Celeste Naude
Willem Odendaal
Amanda S Brand
Sara Cooper

Funding

European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) RIA2020S-3303
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIron deficiency anaemia in young children is a major problem globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends preventive oral iron supplements to reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency and anaemia in high-prevalence settings.

aimTo conduct a qualitative evidence synthesis exploring the factors influencing the acceptability, feasibility and equity of preventive oral iron supplementation in young children for the Global Evidence, Local Adaptation (GELA) project, which supports the development of evidence-informed, locally relevant guideline recommendations in three sub-Saharan countries.

methodWe searched MEDLINE, Epistemonikos, CINAHL and PsycInfo from inception to 07 July 2023 for eligible studies. We synthesised the data using thematic analysis and assessed the methodological quality of the studies (using an adaptation of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool) and confidence in the review findings (using GRADE-CERQual).

resultsWe included six studies, five from LMICs. Findings indicated knowledge and perceptions about iron supplementation, as well as relationships with intervention providers, can have a beneficial or detrimental influence on caregiver acceptance (moderate to high confidence); caregiver acceptance may be negatively affected by a lack of reliable information but can potentially be enhanced through community-based education (moderate confidence); healthcare workers' knowledge, resources and support may improve the feasibility of intervention provision (moderate confidence) and socio-economic challenges around access to the intervention may adversely affect equity (low confidence).

conclusionA complex interplay of contextual factors may impact the provision and uptake of preventive oral iron supplementation in young children.Contribution: This work provides insights into how preventative oral iron supplementation might be contextually tailored.

Indexed as

Anemia, Iron-DeficiencyDietary SupplementsIronChildChild, PreschoolHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansInfantQualitative ResearchIronacceptabilityanaemiachildrenequityfeasibilityiron-deficiency anaemialow and middle-income countriesqualitative evidence synthesis

Identifiers

PMID40459111
PMCPMC12135739

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.