Background: Iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia among Indian school children, largely due to poor dietary intake and low iron bioavailability, which impairs physical abilities and critically affects psychomotor development in children. This study was conducted to determine the intelligence quotient (IQ) and academic performance in school going children with ot without iron deficiency anemia (IDA). Materials and Methods: This Cross-sectional study was carried out for a period of 18 months in the department of Pediatrics. Study included children aged 6-12 years, with iron deficiency anemia (Case group) and without anemia (Control group). Study parameters included age, gender, mother’s education, and socioeconomic status, academic performance and IQ level of children. Data thus collected was subjected to statistical analysis. Results: The mean age of children in Case group was 8.30±1.18 and in Control group was 8.33±1.54 years, with majority being female (60%). Most of the anemic children were from lower or upper lower socioeconomic class (80%). Majority of children with IDA were low to moderate achievers (82.5%) with respect to academic performance. The mean IQ was significantly lower in children with IDA than the healthy controls (p<0.01). Conclusion: This study confirms a strong association between IDA and reduced IQ and academic performance among school children, particularly those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Academic Performance, Anemia, Cognitive Performance, Education, Iron