Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41174800›Full record

ArticleTrials2025

Effect of consuming food cooked in iron pots and behavior change communication on iron status in non-pregnant, non-lactating women: protocol for randomized controlled trial.

Umesh Kawalkar, Shital Telrandhe, Mahalaqua Nazli Khatib, Shilpa Gaidhane, Zahiruddin Quazi Syed, Amar Mankar, Abhay Gaidhane

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Umesh KawalkarDepartment of Community Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Akola, Maharashtra, India. umeshkawalkar01@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8624-4131
Shital TelrandheDatta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
Mahalaqua Nazli KhatibDatta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
Shilpa GaidhaneDatta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
Zahiruddin Quazi SyedDatta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
Amar MankarDatta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.
Abhay GaidhaneDatta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research, Wardha, Maharashtra, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIron-deficiency anemia (IDA) remains a significant public health concern, particularly among women of reproductive age in developing countries. Despite ongoing supplementation and fortification programs, the prevalence of anemia remains high due to challenges such as poor compliance, logistical constraints, and limited access to iron and dietary sources. Cooking in iron cookware has been proposed as a low-cost, culturally acceptable strategy for improving dietary iron intake; however, evidence of its effectiveness remains mixed. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of consuming food cooked in iron pots, coupled with a structured behaviour change programme, on improving hemoglobin and ferritin levels among non-pregnant, non-lactating women of reproductive age in rural India.

methodsA community-based randomized controlled trial will be conducted in selected rural blocks of Akola and Wardha districts in Maharashtra, India. Eligible women (aged 18-45 years, non-pregnant, non-lactating) will be randomized into two groups: an intervention group receiving iron cookware along with structured behaviour change communication sessions, and a control group receiving non-iron cookware. Iron status indicators (hemoglobin, ferritin, serum iron, transferrin saturation, and total iron-binding capacity) will be assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months after the intervention. Patient compliance with iron pot usage will be monitored through food diaries, spot checks, and interviews. Barriers and facilitators of adherence will be explored through qualitative assessments. DISCUSSION: It is anticipated that women using iron cookware with structured counselling support will demonstrate significant improvements in anemia and iron deficiency indicators compared to controls. This study will also identify the practical, cultural, and economic barriers affecting patient compliance with cooking in iron pots. The findings will contribute to the evidence base for promoting iron cookware as a sustainable intervention in rural population settings. The results will inform community health strategies and align with India's Anemia Mukt Bharat initiative.

trial registrationThis randomized controlled trial was prospectively registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI) under the registration number CTRI/2025/04/085829, dated April 28, 2025.

Indexed as

Anemia, Iron-DeficiencyCookingCooking and Eating UtensilsIronIron, DietaryAdolescentAdultBiomarkersFemaleFerritinsHealth BehaviorHemoglobinsHumansIndiaMiddle AgedNutritional StatusBiomarkersFerritinsHemoglobinsIronIron, DietaryAnemiaCookingDietaryFerritinHemoglobinIronIron-deficiencyPatient complianceRandomized controlled trials as topicRural population

Identifiers

PMID41174800
PMCPMC12577005

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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.