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[Survey on vitamin A deficiency in children under-6-years in China]
Liangming Lin1, Yulin Liu, Guanfu Ma
1Department of Epidemiology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing 100020, China.
Insights
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affects children under six in China, particularly in rural areas. Urgent vitamin A supplementation is needed for children in remote and impoverished regions.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Context:
- Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) poses a significant public health challenge globally.
- Understanding the prevalence and distribution of VAD is crucial for targeted interventions.
- China's vast population and diverse geographical regions necessitate localized VAD assessments.
Purpose:
- To determine the prevalence and spatial distribution of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in Chinese children under six years of age.
- To identify high-risk populations and geographical areas for VAD.
- To inform public health strategies for VAD prevention and control.
Summary:
- A survey of 8,669 children under six in 14 provinces revealed an overall VAD prevalence of 11.7%.
- VAD was significantly higher in rural (15.0%) compared to urban (5.8%) areas, with extreme prevalence in poverty-stricken and remote regions (up to 23.3%).
- Clinical signs of VAD, including night blindness and xerophthalmia, were exclusively observed in rural populations, affecting both children and mothers.
Impact:
- The study highlights the persistent burden of VAD in specific vulnerable populations within China.
- Findings underscore the urgent need for targeted vitamin A supplementation programs, especially in remote and impoverished rural areas.
- This research provides critical data for policymakers and health organizations to develop effective VAD control strategies.
Objective:
To understand the prevalence and spatial distribution of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in China among children at ages under six years.
Methods:
About 8,600 children under 6 years of age in 14 cities and 28 counties of 14 provinces were selected with stratified cluster sampling for survey, including interview with questionnaire for their family information and nutritional status. Blood specimens were collected for measuring serum level of VA with fluorescent spectrophotometry in laboratory.
Results:
Totally, 8,669 children under 6 (2,877 in urban area and 5,792 in rural area) were surveyed in 14 provinces, with 4,629 males and 4,040 females. Eight cases of night blindness and seven cases of xerophthalmia were found among the children at ages of two to five years. Sixty-one mothers of the children in this group were also found suffering from night blindness. All the cases of night blindness and xerophthalmia both in children and mothers were living in rural areas. Based on their serum levels of VA, 11.7% of the all 1 018 children were diagnosed as VAD, with serum VA concentrations below or equal to 0.70 micro mol/L. Prevalence of VAD was 15.0% and 5.8% in rural (23.3% in the poverty-stricken counties) and urban areas, respectively, and 5.8%, 11.5% and 16.8% in the coastal, inland and remote areas, respectively. The average serum level of VA was 1.20 micro mol/L and 0.99 micro mol/L for urban and rural areas, respectively, with a national average of 1.06 micro mol/L. And, babies under six months of age with an average serum levels of VA < or = 0.70 micro mol/L accounted for 33.4%, and those at ages of four to five years with the same level of VA accounted for 8%. There was significant difference in serum levels of VA between ages, but no significant difference between genders.
Conclusion:
VAD did exist in children of China, especially in the remote and poverty-stricken rural areas and VA supplementation is urgently needed for the children in these regions.