title: Use of iron supplements in children aged 1-2 years with iron deficiency anemia: A cross-sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Iron deficiency (ID) is the most common nutritional problem in the world and is the most common cause of childhood anemia. In this study, our aim was to find out about the state of usage of iron preparation, which is distributed free of charge by the Ministry of Health, for the infants between 4-12 months in our country, as well as detecting the awareness degree of families those who are informed about iron-deficiency anemia (IDA), prophylaxis of the drug and to determine the drug's effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was a cross-sectional survey. The laboratory values from the files of the children aged 1-2 those who visited our hospital's department of pediatrics, between January 2010 to August 2013, were collected. The survey included families who have children diagnosed with IDA. Questions included about families' sociodemographic characteristics, the state of the usage of the iron drug, how much information received in terms of the side effects- consumption period and dosage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 139 children were enrolled in our study. While 77.7% of the families who participated stated that (n = 108) iron medicine was prescribed other 43.2% of families stated (n = 60) was prescribed and they were informed about iron pills and IDA. 25.9% of families had received information about drug's side effects, 74.8% of them had information about period of consumption and 77.7% said they were given information about the drug dose. The average duration of use of iron medicine was 6.98±4.52 (min: 1, max: 24) months. It has been noted that; parent's education level, mother's occupation, child's gender, how the child was born and receiving information about how to use the medicine had no effects on usage of the drug in children. Nevertheless, it has been noticed that, when the families were given proper information the drug use increased and the patients compliance with medications also increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We believe that, due to frequent diagnosis of anemia in children, prophylaxis iron supplementation should be continued for up to the age of two years.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Handan Atsiz Sezik, MD. Specialist, Katip Celebi University Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Family Medicine Clinic, Izmir/Turkey.
authors.forename: Handan Atsiz
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Sezik
authors.affiliation: Dr. Huseyin Can, MD. Assistant Professor, Katip Celebi University Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Family Medicine Clinic, Izmir/Turkey.
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Can
authors.affiliation: Dr. Mehmet Ali Kurnaz, MD. Specialist, Katip Celebi University Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Family Medicine Clinic, Izmir/Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kurnaz
authors.affiliation: Dr. Mine Tuna, MD. Specialist, Katip Celebi University Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Family Medicine Clinic, Izmir/Turkey.
authors.forename: Mine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tuna
authors.affiliation: Dr. Zeynep Ay, MD. Katip Celebi University Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Family Medicine Clinic, Izmir/Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ay
keywords: Anemia; Family medicine; Iron deficiency; Iron supplementation