Vitamin A intake and xerophthalmia among Indian children

Objective: To estimate prevalence of xerophthalmia and to assess dietary intake of vitamin A in Indian children aged under 6 y. : Cross sectional study. setting: Urban slums under Urban Health Centre affiliated to Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Government Medical College, Nagpur, India. ipants: The study included 1094 all children under 6 y of age, from two randomly selected urban slums. s: Xerophthalmia was diagnosed on the basis of ocular signs and symptoms (WHO recommendations). Dietary intake of vitamin A was assessed by using one year recall method recommended by International Vitamin A Consultative Group. s: Prevalence of xerophthalmia was estimated to be 8.7%. Nine hundred and ninety-five (90.9%) study subjects were identified as inhabitants consuming dietary vitamin A at below recommended levels. (UPF score <210). Five hundred and ninety-three (54.2%) study subjects were consuming dietary vitamin A at approximately less than 200 RE/d (UPF score <120) while 402 (36.2%) were consuming approximately 200–300 RE/d (UPF score 120–210). The prevalence of xerophthalmia was found to be decreasing as the score of usual pattern of food consumption (UPF) increased. sions: Children with a dietary intake represented by a UPF score of less than 120 were at high risk of developing xerophthalmia, whereas, those consuming vitamin A equal to a UPF score greater than 120 were at comparatively less risk despite being below the recommended levels.