Effect of Folic acid supplementation on appetite/nutritional status in pre-school children.

All children presenting to the paediatric OPD, between the ages 3 and 5 years who were below the 50th percentile on the growth chart were enrolled in the study. Children having any chronic condition such as celiac disease, diabetes mellitus, neoplasia or anemia were excluded from the study. Children were divided in to two groups A and B(control group), each consisting of 22 children. Group A patients were to receive folic acid in a dose of 200µg/day, given as crushed half tablet of Myfol-R while Group B(control group) was given a placebo in the form of a glucose capsule for 3 months . Compliance to the drug was ensured by counselling the parents and empty strips or packets of tablets were seen at each monthly follow up. Data was collected using a specialized questionnaire designed for the trial which also included the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ)(11). This questionnaire was filled at baseline and at 3 months follow up of the patients. Primary outcome of the trial was to observe any improvement in the appetite at 3 months using the CEBQ. Secondary outcomes included improvement in the nutritional status as seen by change in the BMI, percentile on growth chart and change in hemoglobin. Side effects of folic acid therapy were also noted.