Related Experiment Videos
Can supplements help meet the micronutrient needs of the developing world?
Roger Shrimpton1, Roger Shrimpton, Werner Schultink
1Helen Keller International and Centre for International Child Health, Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WCIN 1EH, UK. Roger.Shrimpton@ich.ucl.ac.uk
The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
|July 23, 2002
Summary
Micronutrient supplementation, particularly vitamin A for children, has saved over a million lives. New multiple micronutrient supplements show promise for maternal and child health in developing countries.
Area of Science:
- Public Health Nutrition
- Maternal and Child Health
- Micronutrient Interventions
Background:
- Supplementation offers advantages over dietary approaches for micronutrient intake.
- Vitamin A supplementation in children has demonstrated significant success in improving survival rates.
- Iron-folate supplementation has shown limited success in improving maternal and child survival outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of micronutrient supplementation strategies.
- To highlight the success of vitamin A supplementation programs.
- To introduce a new multiple micronutrient supplement for women of reproductive age.
Main Methods:
- Review of vitamin A supplementation programs and outcomes.
- Analysis of challenges and successes with iron-folate supplementation.
- Formulation and proposed implementation of a new multiple micronutrient supplement.
Main Results:
- Vitamin A supplementation achieved 80% coverage in least-developed countries, saving over a million children's lives.
- Limited evidence of efficacy for iron-folate supplements has hindered widespread implementation.
- A new multiple micronutrient supplement is being used by UNICEF to prevent low birth weight.
Conclusions:
- Micronutrient supplementation is a vital public health tool, with vitamin A as a prime example.
- Further research and efficacy trials are crucial for the new multiple micronutrient supplement to gain political support and achieve universal coverage.
- Targeted supplementation strategies are essential for improving maternal and child health outcomes globally.