Background: The "Iron Supplementation Project" for anemic toddlers in Iran has not been subject to scientific studies yet. Since daily consumption of iron drops by children could bring about physical and mental problems, the aim of this study was to determine whether weekly doses of iron drops would also improve the iron status of children significantly.

Materials and Methods: We determined the iron status of 12 to 21-month-old anemic toddlers receiving iron drops (ferrous sulfate) daily referred to health care centers in Shiraz. One hundred and four children were divided into two groups one group receiving iron drops (1 mg/kg) daily as before, and the other group receiving iron drops weekly (3 mg/kg).

Results: After three months children showed a significant increase in hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean cellular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) levels. Although weekly supplementation led to a significant increase in Hb levels, daily supplementation had a significantly greater effect than weekly supplementation on the levels of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and MCHC.

Conclusion: We generally conclude that weekly iron supplementation is not suitable for anemic children.