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Zinc nutritional status in preschool children in different communities in southern Ghana
1Nutrition Unit, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Legon, Ghana.
Objective:
To determine the nutritional status of preschool children in four communities in Southern Ghana with particular reference to zinc nutritional status, and ascertain whether there are any significant differences in their zinc levels that could explain differences in their nutritional states.
Design:
Prospective study.
Setting:
Four kindergartens--two in rural communities (Kwabenya and Ashalley Botwe) and two in peri-urban communities (Domi and New Achimota) in southern Ghana.
Subjects:
Preschool children.
Main Outcome Measures:
The levels of zinc in plasma, hair and red blood cells as well as alkaline phosphatase activity and the various nutritional states of the children as determined by biochemical analyses and anthropometric measurements.
Results:
The nutritional status of periurban children was better than that of their rural counterparts. Zinc levels were adequate and comparable in both communities and do not correlate to the various nutritional states, as determined by anthropometric and biochemical data.
Conclusion:
Low stature (stunting) can occur in the presence of adequate zinc levels in plasma, hair and red blood cells. Zinc deficiency is not a contributory factor to the present malnutrition of the pre-school children in southern Ghana enrolled in this study.