وضعيت تغذيه اي ويتامين A در استان هرمزگان - زمستان 1378

Nutritional status of vitamin A in Hormozgan province, Southern Iran- March 2000

Introduction: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is one of the most prevalent nutritional deficiencies in less developed areas and has a key role in increasing the burden of infectious diseases, especially among vulnerable groups. In this study, we aimed to determine the nutritional status of vitamin A in urban and rural areas of Hormozgan province, southern Iran. Methods: In march 2000 breast-milk and conjunctival (in pair) samples were taken from 239 lactating mothers (1-9 months after delivery) and 687 children (24-71 months), respectively. Weight, height, prevalence of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections during two weeks before the study in children, and the practice of colostrum. feeding were determined. Breast milk retinal was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) was done by microscopic investigation of conjunctiva samples. EPI6. 0 software was used to analyze data. Results: Prevalence of retinol-deficient milk samples (retinol< 1.05 mM) was 16.8% (12.0-21.6%) with no significant difference between urban (18.5%) and rural (15.7%) areas. Abnormal CIC was found in 25.2 and 28.7% of urban and rural children, respectively, with no statistically significant difference. Total proportion was 27.3% (24.0-30.6%) in the province. The overall importance of vitamin A deficiency seemed to he at "moderate sub-clinical" level. Conclusion: Considering the time of study, it seems that problem of VAD should be more serious during other months, especially in remote rural areas. Nutritional education with special emphasis on local potentials in cultivating vitamin A rich foods, continuation of vitamin A supplementation in children and integration of a vitamin A supplementation program into the maternity care services are highly suggested.