A study challenging preconceived notions about the relationship between anaemia and school attendance in India that could significantly influence the policies aimed at enhancing education in low- and middle-income countries was recently published Communications Medicine.

Commenting on the study, coauthor Santosh Kumar, an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs, said that the study that aimed to clarify the connection between anaemia and school attendance among Indian teenagers aged 15 to 18.

To examine the link, the team conducted a precise econometric evaluation involving over 250,000 teenagers who participated in the study.

Kumar says that their study did not find any convincing evidence supporting a link between anaemia and school attendance, despite previous research indicating a strong correlation even after accounting for different variables.

He asserts that previous studies frequently neglected significant household-level variables that could influence both anaemia and school attendance, saying "We isolated the effect of anaemia on attendance by focusing our investigation on teenagers living in the same home."

Kumar highlighted that anaemia remains a pressing health concern in India, particularly among children and teenagers who lack sufficient iron, and says that recent research suggests that its direct impact on school attendance may not be as significant as previously believed.

When working to improve educational outcomes, policymakers in India and other similar settings should take note of the significant importance of these results, He pointed out and highlighted the significance of evidence-based interventions in enhancing access to education, aligning with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Kumar stressed the importance of conducting thorough research to guide policy decisions and said,  "Despite being a significant health problem, the link between anaemia and education may not be as straightforward as commonly believed."

IT may be recalled that in previous studies, Kumar assessed the effectiveness of iron fortification schemes in Indian school lunches for younger children, which successfully decreased anaemia rates, but they did not result in an increase in academic achievement.

Kumar and his group now plan to initiate a new study in 2024, which will examine how to fortify iron in preschoolers aged three to five and try to find answers to the question if early nutritional interventions have a significant impact on cognitive development and physical health.

Emphasising that this ongoing study perfectly aligns with their overarching objective of addressing global health issues and advancing poverty reduction through academic research, Kumar said, "We actively advocate for evidence-based laws that promote educational equity and enhance human wellbeing."