Assessment of vitamin A status of preschool children in a sub-Saharan African setting: comparative advantage of modified relative-dose response test
| Autor: | C Samba, P. Houze, D Malvy, B. Gourmel |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: |
Vitamin
Male Pediatrics medicine.medical_specialty Sub saharan Cross-sectional study Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Nutritional Status Relative dose response chemistry.chemical_compound Night Blindness Xerophthalmia Prevalence Medicine Humans Africa South of the Sahara business.industry Vitamin A Deficiency Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Retinol Infant medicine.disease Original Papers Test (assessment) Vitamin A deficiency Cross-Sectional Studies chemistry Congo Child Preschool Population Surveillance Female business Food Science |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition |
| ISSN: | 1606-0997 |
| Popis: | A nationally-representative sample of 2,696 preschool children living in Congo was examined during Au gust-September 2003 to determine the rates of vitamin A deficiency. Ninety clusters of 30 children, aged six months to six years, were selected, using a randomized two-level cluster-sampling method. Vitamin A deficiency was determined by assessing the prevalence of active xerophthalmia (nightblindness and/or Bitot spots) in the cross-over sample of 2,696 individuals. A semi-quantitative seven-day dietary questionnaire was concurrently applied to the mothers of children enrolled to estimate the latter's consumption of vitamin A-rich food. Vitamin A status was assessed by performing the modified relative dose-response test (MRDR) on dried blood spots (DBS) from a subsample of 207 children aged less than six years and the impression cytology with transfer (ICT) test on a subsample of 1,162 children. Of the children enrolled, 5.2% suffered from nightblindness, 8.0% had Bitot spots, and 2.5% had other vitamin A deficiency sequellae. Fifty-three percent of the ICT tests showed the presence of vitamin A deficiency. The biochemical MRDR test showed that the vitamin A status of 30% of the study children was critical. Twenty-seven of them had retinol levels of < 10 microg/dL [mean +/- standard deviation (SD) 7.02 +/- 2.0 microg/dL], and 50% had retinol levels of 10-20 microg/dL (mean +/- SD 14.2 +/- 2.83 microg/dL). The poor health status and low rates of consumption of vitamin A-rich food are the main factors determining critical status. Vitamin A deficiency, reflecting poor nutrition and health, is a serious public-health issue among children aged less than six years in Congo. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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