Üçkardeş Y, Özmert EN, Ünal F, Yurdakök K. (Departments of Pediatrics and Adolescent and Child Psychiatry, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara). The effect of zinc supplementation on Hacettepe Psychological Adaptation Scale scores in low socioeconomic level primary school children. Çocuk Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları Dergisi 2009; 52: 53-59. Zinc deficiency is common in children from developing countries. Zinc supplementation reduces the infection rate and promotes growth in children. There are a limited number of intervention studies about zinc supplementation effects on behavior in school-aged children. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of zinc supplementation on behavior as measured by the Hacettepe Psychological Adaptation Scale (HPAS) in low-income school-aged children. In this double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 226 thirdgrade children received 15 mg elemental zinc or placebo daily for 10 weeks. At the end of the supplementation, HPAS behavior problem score decreased from 5,80±4,00 to 5,54±4,22 (p=0.01) in the zinc supplementation group and from 5,98±4,12 to 5,01±3,64 (p>0.05) in the placebo group. There was no statistically significant difference in HPAS neurotic problem scores in either group after supplementation. HPAS total scores decreased significantly in the zinc group but not in the placebo group (11.55±6.79 vs 10.05±6.39, p=0.03; 11.74±6.91 vs 10.96±7.16, p>0.05, respectively). Defining the impact of micronutrients on the central nervous system, neuropsychologic development and behavior and appropriate supplementation in high-risk societies may be effective in decreasing behavioral problems. Key words: zinc, supplementation, behavior, Hacettepe Psychological Adaptation Scale.

Keywords: çinko, suplementasyon, davranış, Hacettepe Ruhsal Uyum Ölçeği.