Worldwide vitamin A deficiency targeted as a public health problem

1995 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
&NA;
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Public Health Problem

scholarly journals Utilization of vitamin A supplementation services in high priority districts of Bihar

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 667
Author(s):  
Nivedita Sinha ◽  
Rajesh R. Sinha ◽  
Ajay Krishna ◽  
Rashmi Singh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Vitamin A Supplementation ◽  
Ultimate Outcome

Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major preventable public health problem. Prevalence of VAD in preschool children was 5.7% (India), and 4.5% (Bihar). India is implementing biannual Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) since 2007 along with 80 other countries. VAS was originally proposed as a short term measure, followed by dietary improvement. Since vulnerability to VAD is more in high priority districts (HPDs), it was deemed worthwhile to study the extent to which VAS programme is utilized in the 10 HPDs of Bihar with respect to the processes involved and the ultimate outcome of empowering the community with knowledge and capacity to combat VAD on their own.Methods: Cross sectional observational study conducted in 6 randomly selected blocks and 5 session sites per block of the 10 HPDs. 300 sites sampled for processes and 893 caregivers interviewed for their knowledge.Results: Out of 300 sites, 269 sites found functional, 30.85% sites had due lists and 30.11% had MCP cards; 20.44% had adequate VA. IEC displayed at 52.78% and 71.3% sessions conducted in shade. In 79.55% sites efforts made to determine age of child before administration. Correct use of recommended spoon known to 80.66%, benefits of VA to 76.57% and diseases due to VAD to 81.7% of FLWs. Knowledge regarding VA good in 33.4% of caregivers, average in 35.5%, and poor in 30.9%.Conclusions: Crucial gaps found in necessary inputs and conduct of VAS. Community knowledge found lacking for sustainable programme withdrawal. Better programme management will improve utilization. 

scholarly journals Vitamin A Deficiency among Rural Primary School Children, A still Neglected Group for Vitamin A Supplementation Strategies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Augustin Nawidimbasba ZEBA ◽  
Jean Fidèle Bationo ◽  
Olivier Ouahamin Sombié ◽  
Jeoffray Diendéré
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
School Children ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
High Dose

Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is still a public health problem across the globe and also in Burkina Faso, especially for under-five-years-old children. Since less information is available about the prevalence of VAD among the primary school children, this study aimed to study this area. Methods: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted to assess the effect of high dose of vitamin A (VA) and daily zinc versus high dose of VA and daily zinc placebo (6 days per week) during four months among the primary school children. Of the total number of 200 school children, 100 were allocated to two random groups. Participants’ gender, age, weight, and height were measured, a blood smear was performed for malaria diagnosis, stool samples were collected for intestine parasites’ assessment, and blood samples were collected for haemoglobin and serum retinol measurement. Results: Baseline data of 183 school children were analysed and the findings showed that 20.6% of the school children were underweight (23.2% in girls vs. 16.5% in boys; P = 0.043). Anemia affected 36.2%, 39% had Plasmodium Falciparum, and 37.6% had intestine parasites. Furthermore, VAD prevalence was 46.1% (51.0% in boys vs. 41.2% in girls; P = 0,072). Conclusion: Among primary school children in the Western part of Burkina Faso, VAD is not only higher than other regions of the country, but also twice the critical level and defined as a severe public health problem by WHO. This result calls for action among the primary school children and recalls the importance of taking strategies against VAD among under-five-year-old children.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency among Preschool Children in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zekariyas Sahile ◽  
Delelegn Yilma ◽  
Robel Tezera ◽  
Tadu Bezu ◽  
Werissaw Haileselassie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Night Blindness ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Bitot’S Spot ◽  
Subclinical Vitamin

Background. Vitamin A deficiency is a major nutritional concern in lower-income countries. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to show the magnitude of vitamin A deficiency among preschoolers in Ethiopia. Objective. The present study was aimed at synthesizing qualitatively and quantitatively the existing literature on the prevalence of VAD in preschool children in Ethiopia. Methods. Studies were searched through the search engine of Google Scholar, Hinari, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Africa-Wide Information. Searching was made using the keywords/MeSH of vitamin A deficiency, xerophthalmia, night blindness, Bitot’s spot, retinol, children, and Ethiopia. Data were analyzed and compared with the WHO threshold criteria to declare a public health problem. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using a Cochran Q test and I2 statistics. A random-effects model with 95% confidence interval was used for prevalence estimations. Results. Of the 13 studies included in clinical analysis, 12 of them reported the prevalence of night blindness and/or Bitot’s spot among preschool children in Ethiopia which was above WHO cutoff point for the public health problem 1% and 0.5%, respectively. The prevalence of night blindness significantly decreased from moderate public health problem 4.2% (95% CI: 2.8%-5.7%) in a period from 1990 to 2004 to mild public health problem 0.8% (95% CI: 0.6%-1.0%) in a period from 2005 to 2019. Furthermore, statistically insignificant reduction was observed in the prevalence of Bitot’s spot in a period from 1990 to 2004, 2.2% (95% CI: 1.3%-3.2%) to 1.8% (95% CI: 1.2%-2.3%) in a period from 2005 to 2019. Among 8 studies on subclinical vitamin A deficiency, 7 of them indicated a severe public health problem (>20%). The prevalence of subclinical vitamin A deficiency decreased from 55.7% (95% CI: 39.8%-71.6%) in a period from 1990 to 2004 to 28.3% (95% CI: 9.8%-46.7%) in a period from 2005 to 2019, but not statistically significant. Conclusions. Despite the reduced proportion of night blindness and Bitot’s spot, still both clinical and subclinical vitamin A deficiencies remain a public health problem in Ethiopia requiring strengthen intervention through the newly initiated health extension program.

scholarly journals Bioavailability of β-carotene (βC) from purple carrots is the same as typical orange carrots while high-βC carrots increase βC stores in Mongolian gerbils(Meriones unguiculatus)

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandy Porter Dosti ◽  
Jordan P. Mills ◽  
Philipp W. Simon ◽  
Sherry A. Tanumihardjo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Phenolic Acids ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Meriones Unguiculatus ◽  
Mongolian Gerbils ◽  
Alternative Source ◽  
Β Carotene

Vitamin A (VA) deficiency is a worldwide public health problem. Biofortifying existing sources of β-carotene (βC) and increasing dietary βC could help combat the issue. Two studies were performed to investigate the relative βC bioavailability of a βC supplement to purple, high-βC orange, and typical orange carrots using Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). In study 1, which used a traditional bioavailability design, gerbils (n32) received a diet containing orange, purple, or white carrot powder, or white carrot powder +a βC supplement. In study 2, which included βC-biofortified carrots, gerbils (n 39) received orange, high-βC orange, purple, or white carrot powder in their diet. Both studies lasted 21 d and the gerbils were killed to determine the effect of carrot type or supplement on serum and liver βC, α-carotene, and VA concentrations. Liver stores of βC or VA in the gerbils did not differ between orange and purple carrot diets when equal amounts of βC from each of the diets were consumed (P>0·05). Both the orange and purple carrot diet resulted in higher liver VA compared with the supplement (P<0·05). High-βC carrots resulted in more than 2-fold higher βC and 1·1 times greater VA liver stores compared with typical orange carrots (P<0·05). These results suggest that high-βC carrots may be an alternative source of VA to typical carrots in areas of VA deficiency. Second, phenolics including anthocyanins and phenolic acids in purple carrot do not interfere with the bioavailability of βC from purple carrots.

scholarly journals Vitamin A Deficiency and the Lung

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joaquín Timoneda ◽  
Lucía Rodríguez-Fernández ◽  
Rosa Zaragozá ◽  
M. Marín ◽  
M. Cabezuelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin A ◽  
Health Problem ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Cell Junction ◽  
Normal Lung ◽  
Lung Physiology ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Differentiation And Proliferation

Vitamin A (all-trans-retinol) is a fat-soluble micronutrient which together with its natural derivatives and synthetic analogues constitutes the group of retinoids. They are involved in a wide range of physiological processes such as embryonic development, vision, immunity and cellular differentiation and proliferation. Retinoic acid (RA) is the main active form of vitamin A and multiple genes respond to RA signalling through transcriptional and non-transcriptional mechanisms. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a remarkable public health problem. An adequate vitamin A intake is required in early lung development, alveolar formation, tissue maintenance and regeneration. In fact, chronic VAD has been associated with histopathological changes in the pulmonary epithelial lining that disrupt the normal lung physiology predisposing to severe tissue dysfunction and respiratory diseases. In addition, there are important alterations of the structure and composition of extracellular matrix with thickening of the alveolar basement membrane and ectopic deposition of collagen I. In this review, we show our recent findings on the modification of cell-junction proteins in VAD lungs, summarize up-to-date information related to the effects of chronic VAD in the impairment of lung physiology and pulmonary disease which represent a major global health problem and provide an overview of possible pathways involved.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Vitamin A Status Among Elderly Chinese Population Between 2002 and 2012: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the China National Nutrition and Health Survey

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1851-1851
Author(s):  
Rui Wang ◽  
Chen Jing ◽  
Yichun Hu ◽  
Xiaoguang Yang ◽  
Lichen Yang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Serum Retinol ◽  
Nutrition And Health ◽  
Chinese Elderly ◽  
Vitamin A Status

Abstract Objectives Vitamin A deficiency is recognized as a major public health nutrition issue in developing countries including China. It is one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies, yet vitamin A status of the elderly in China paucity of data since 2002. We sought to evaluate Chinese elderly aged 60 years and above in vitamin A status, and to compare vitamin A insufficiency between year 2002 and 2012. Methods We compared serum retinol concentrations from the China National Nutrition and Health Survey 2002 (CNNHS 2002), with CNNHS data collected during 2010 through 2012 (CNNHS 2010–2012). Complete data were available for 4933 elderly participants in CNNHS 2002 and 5613 elderly participants in CNNHS 2010–2012. Results The mean serum retinol concentration was 1.69 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.68–1.71) μmol/L during CNNHS 2002 and increase to 1.98 (1.96–2.00) μmol/L during CNNHS 2010–2012. Compared with 2002, the vitamin A levels in the elderly across all region, gender and age groups showed an upward trend, with the difference being statistically significant (all P &lt; 0.05). In 2012, the incidence of VAD in the elderly participants was higher than in 2002 (3.39vs1.46) (P &lt; 0.001). However, the incidence of marginal VAD was lower than in 2002 (7.38vs8.62) (P = 0.019). VAD in those being large cities, small and medium-sized cities, rural area, male and female, aged 60–69 or 70–79 were higher than in 2002 (all P &lt; 0.05), poor rural areas was significantly lower than in 2002 (P &lt; 0.001). The prevalence of marginal VAD among the urban elderly in 2012 was higher than in 2002 (P &lt; 0.05), whereas the prevalence was lower than that in 2002 among the rural elderly (P &lt; 0.001). The prevalence of marginal VAD in the male elderly (P &lt; 0.001) and in the 60–69 age group (P = 0.014) were lower than in 2002. Conclusions Our findings showed that vitamin A status among elderly was greatly improved by 10 years, but VAD remains a public health problem in the Chinese elderly population. Therefore, reducing the incidence of VAD is crucial to the health of the elderly in China. In particular, attention needs to be paid to the nutrition and health status of urban and ≥80 year elderly. Funding Sources This research was supported by the Special Fund for Health-scientific Research in the Public Interest (No. 20,120,212) from the National Health and Family Planning Commission of the People's Republic of China.

scholarly journals Prevalence and public health relevance of micronutrient deficiencies and undernutrition in pre-school children and women of reproductive age in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 2016-2028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Rohner ◽  
Christine Northrop-Clewes ◽  
Andres B Tschannen ◽  
Patrice E Bosso ◽  
Valérie Kouassi-Gohou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Cote D'ivoire ◽  
Côte D’Ivoire ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Vitamin B ◽  
Cote D’Ivoire ◽  
Côte D'ivoire

AbstractObjectiveTo provide nationally representative data on the prevalence of anaemia, vitamin A and Fe deficiencies among pre-school age children (pre-SAC) and non-pregnant women of reproductive age (WRA), and on vitamin B12and folate deficiencies in WRA, and the influence of inflammation on their interpretation.DesignA cross-sectional survey to measure anthropometry, malaria parasitaemia and micronutrient status. Specifically, blood samples were analysed for Hb, plasma ferritin, soluble transferrin receptors, C-reactive protein, α1-acid glycoprotein, retinol-binding protein, vitamin B12and folate.SettingCôte d'Ivoire in 2007.SubjectsNine hundred and twenty-eight WRA and 879 pre-SAC.ResultsIn WRA, prevalence ofPlasmodiumparasitaemia (5 %) was low, but inflammation (34 %) was higher. Anaemia was a severe public health problem and prevalence differed by residency and eco-region. Inflammation-adjusted Fe deficiency was highest in urban areas (20 %). Nationally, folate deficiency was 86 %, higher in urban areas and varied by eco-region. Prevalence of vitamin B12deficiency was low but higher in the rural areas and the north. Inflammation-adjusted vitamin A deficiency was very low (1 %). In pre-SAC, prevalence of inflammation (67 %) andPlasmodiumparasites (25 %) was high; the latter was associated with poverty, rural residency and higher ferritin concentrations. Anaemia was classified as a severe public health problem (72 %), and was higher in rural areas (76 %) and the north (87 %). A quarter of pre-SAC suffered from vitamin A deficiency (inflammation-adjusted) and prevalence of undernutrition was high.ConclusionsPrevalence of inflammation,Plasmodiumparasitaemia and micronutrient deficiencies were high in Côte d'Ivoire, particularly in pre-SAC. Nutritional interventions should be accompanied by strategies to reduce exposure to infections.

Blood Micronutrients in Algeria, Relationships with Sex and Age

2001 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brahim Lachili ◽  
Henri Faure ◽  
Josiane Arnaud ◽  
Marie-Jeanne Richard ◽  
Cherifa Benlatreche ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Trace Elements ◽  
Vitamin A ◽  
Vitamin A Deficiency ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Beta Carotene ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Group I

Despite trace elements and vitamins are major public health problems in some African countries, there are few studies reporting micronutrient status in North Africa. Therefore, it could be interesting to evaluate plasma concentrations of vitamin A, E and beta-carotene, along with zinc, copper, selenium erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in Algeria. Volunteers were randomly recruited in Constantine, Batna and Mila. Vitamins, trace elements and enzymes were measured in the University Hospital of Grenoble. 455 persons were included in the study. Subjects were divided in 3 groups: group I: 15 girls and 12 boys who were 6 to 12.9 years old, group II: 190 women and 192 men 13 to 49.9 years old, group III: 24 women and 24 men 50 to 65 years old. Plasma concentrations of micronutrients and enzymes are close to those commonly observed in Europe, except for vitamin A concentrations. Indeed, retinol levels are 30–35% lower than those reported in European countries, moreover almost 8% of the population showed retinol concentrations less than 1.05 mumol/l. Beta-Carotene levels were also lower than in the French average population. Ten per cent of the population had plasma zinc levels lower than 10.6 mumol/l. Vitamin E, copper and selenium status seems satisfactory in Algeria. Vitamin A is not a public health problem, however a significant percentage of residents exhibits impaired vitamin A levels and may benefit from retinol supplementation. Larger studies are needed, and particularly in children, to detect possible higher prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in poor socio-economical classes and in inner geographic areas.

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