Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 12, 2025

Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography
03:35

Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography

Published on: December 1, 2023

378

Unveiling Disparities and Missed Opportunities in Vitamin A Supplementation Among Children Under Five in Ethiopia

Tsedey Moges1, Meron Girma1, Alemnesh Petros1

  • 1Nutrition, Environmental Health and Non-Communicable Disease Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Maternal & Child Nutrition
|August 6, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) coverage in Ethiopia remains low, with significant disparities favoring wealthier, urban populations. Missed opportunities, particularly in rural areas, highlight the need for improved delivery strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Nutrition Science
  • Global Health

Background:

  • Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) is crucial for reducing childhood illness and death.
  • Ethiopia's nationwide VAS program, initiated in 2006, has struggled with consistently low coverage.
  • Multiple delivery strategies are employed to address coverage gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess Vitamin A supplementation coverage among children under five in Ethiopia.
  • To identify existing coverage disparities and missed opportunities.
  • To inform strategies for improving VAS program effectiveness and equity.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study using data from Ethiopia's Food and Nutrition Strategy baseline survey (2021-2023).
  • Analysis of a subsample of 8580 children aged 6-59 months.
  • Utilized slope inequality index (SII) and concentration index (CIX) to measure disparities.

Main Results:

  • National routine VAS coverage was 21%, with significant inequalities.
  • Higher coverage observed in wealthiest households, urban areas, and among those with higher parental education.
  • Approximately 39% of eligible children missed VAS during integrated measles vaccination, a missed opportunity disproportionately affecting rural residents.

Conclusions:

  • Ethiopia's VAS program faces challenges with inequitable coverage and weak service integration.
  • Missed opportunities highlight critical gaps, especially for vulnerable rural populations.
  • Expanding access, tailoring delivery, and utilizing diverse service points are essential for enhancing coverage, equity, and program resilience.

Keywords:
Ethiopiachildren under fivecoveragedisparitiesinequitymissed opportunityvitamin A supplementation

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Developing a Point-of-Care Hemoglobin Estimation Method for Anemia Management05:35

Author Spotlight: Developing a Point-of-Care Hemoglobin Estimation Method for Anemia Management

Published on: January 19, 2024

925
Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes03:19

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

498

Related Concept Videos

Vitamins01:30

Vitamins

Vitamins, derived from the Latin word for life, are essential organic substances required in small quantities for optimal growth and overall well-being. Unlike other organic nutrients, vitamins don't act as sources of energy or building materials but rather facilitate these nutrients' utilization by the body. Vitamins are predominantly coenzymes, assisting enzymes in specific chemical actions, like the oxidation of glucose for energy involving B vitamins. Most vitamins are not produced...
992
Bias in Epidemiological Studies01:29

Bias in Epidemiological Studies

Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:  
683
Mineral, Vitamin and Water Absorption01:27

Mineral, Vitamin and Water Absorption

Electrolytes are essential minerals and ions primarily obtained from the diet and absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. Most electrolytes are absorbed in the small intestine. While the absorption of iron and calcium primarily occurs in the duodenum, calcium is also absorbed in the jejunum and ileum. In these regions, passive diffusion contributes to its absorption alongside active transport mechanisms in the duodenum. These ions can exit the enterocytes through specialized active...
717
Confounding in Epidemiological Studies01:27

Confounding in Epidemiological Studies

Confounding in statistical epidemiology represents a pivotal challenge, referring to the distortion in the perceived relationship between an exposure and an outcome due to the presence of a third variable, known as a confounder. This variable is associated with both the exposure and the outcome but is not a direct link in their causal chain. Its presence can lead to erroneous interpretations of the exposure's effect, either exaggerating or underestimating the true association. This...
262
Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
2.8K
Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis01:23

Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis

The skin plays a crucial role in the synthesis of vitamin D, a vital nutrient for various physiological processes in the body. Vitamin D is unique because it can be synthesized in the skin through a series of chemical reactions triggered by exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from sunlight.
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin...
5.7K