Effect of the use of lucky iron fish on the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age through a community-based intervention in the southern part of Benin

Iron deficiency anaemia is a public health problem in developing countries. In Benin, the prevalence of anaemia is still high despite the efforts made to address it. The Lucky Iron Fish is a new product that has been developed to tackle iron deficiency anaemia in settings where it prevailes. This study assessed the effect of the use of Lucky Iron Fish on the prevalence of anaemia in women of reproductive age before its introduction in their dietary patterns. In this regard, a 70-week longitudinal experimental research was conducted in the commune of Adjohoun, Department of Oueme in South Benin. With the use of a semi-randomized non-blinded design, the study recruited 250 women of reproductive age gathered in two groups: the treatment group receiving the LIF and nutrition and the control group receiving nutritional education alone. Haemoglobin concentration and the prevalence of anaemia, iron intake and consumption frequency of protein and iron-rich foods were the main data collected. Findings revealed a positive effect of the use of LIF on the treatment of moderate anaemia. Iron deficiency anaemia prevalence decreased by 80%. The treatment group women’s mean concentration of haemoglobin (9.45g/dl) increased at the end of this study (12.95g/dl) and was significantly (p˂0.05) higher than that of women of the control group (11,06g/dl). Upcoming iron-deficiency anaemia related studies should use biological indicators of iron deficiency such as Ferritin and C-reactive protein (CRP) to detect inflammatory processes to increase the specificity of ferritin as an iron deficiency indicator. Keywords: Benin, haemoglobin concentration, iron deficiency, LIF, longitudinal research, Women of reproductive age