Original ArticleIron and Zinc Supplementation does not Improve Parent or Teacher Ratings of Behavior in First Grade Mexican Children Exposed to Lead
Section snippets
Participants
This randomized, double-blind trial was conducted in the city of Torreón, in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. The main source of lead exposure was a metal foundry located close to the city center. Nine public elementary schools located within a 3.5-km radius of the foundry comprised the study site, and 724 children regularly attending first grade at the schools were eligible for enrollment (Figure). Signed parental consent was returned for 602 children. The exclusion criteria were a PbB
Sample Characteristics at Baseline
The mean (SD) blood lead concentration for the whole sample was 11.5 (6.1) μg/dL, and 51% of children had PbBs ≥ 10μg/dL.16 The overall prevalence of iron (ID; SF < 15 μg/L) and zinc deficiency (ZnD; serum zinc < 65 μg/dL) was 21.7% and 28.9%, respectively. In all other respects, the randomized groups were similar (Table I).
The mean scores at baseline for both parent and teacher ratings were well within the clinically normal range; Table II). According to parents, 17% of the children exhibited
Discussion
This study was conducted to determine whether supplementation with iron or zinc would benefit behavior ratings by parents or teachers in lead-exposed children. In this sample of children aged 6 to 8 years, 51% had PbB ≥ 10 μg/dL, and 6% were rated by both parents and teachers as exhibiting ADHD-like behaviors. Alternative treatment of ADHD and other behavior problems in children is not new, either because parents prefer not to use stimulant medication with young children or because children do
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Supported by The Spencer Foundation, Chicago, Ill