This study investigated the iron status of the Dikgale population. Dikgale is a village situated in Limpopo Province, South Africa.
Materials and methods
We analysed a data file which is part of the Dikgale Demographic and Health Study. This study is a collaboration between the University of the North in South Africa and the Norwegian Universities Committee for Development Research and Education.
We divided iron status into five different groups: normal iron status, iron deficiency, iron deficiency anaemia, other anaemias than iron deficiency anaemia and iron overload.
The population was also divided into three groups after their socio economic status(SES).
Results and Discussion
The iron status of the population was: 44.7 % normal iron status, 20.9 % iron deficiency, 9.4 % iron deficiency anaemia, 1.5 % other anaemias and 23.6 % iron overload.
The study revealed a significant correlation between high age and low SES, and between low SES and high iron status. The females had a lower iron status overall than the males. High age was correlated with higher iron status than low age, both for the different genders and within the three SES groups. With increasing SES iron status always decrease, except for young men who seem to get better iron status with increasing SES.
Overall the iron status in Dikgale is good, and actually iron overload may be a larger problem than iron deficiency.