Vitamin A deficiency among children in a periurban South African settlement

Area of Science:

• Nutritional science
• Public health
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Vitamin A deficiency is a significant global health concern, particularly in developing countries.
• Preschool children are a vulnerable population susceptible to micronutrient deficiencies.
• Informal settlements often face challenges in accessing adequate nutrition and healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the vitamin A status of preschool children in a South African informal settlement.
• To evaluate the prevalence of both deficient and low vitamin A concentrations.
• To compare serum retinol levels with conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) findings.

Main Methods:

• Serum retinol concentrations were measured in 169 children aged 3-6 years.
• Conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) was performed on 185 children.
• Data were analyzed to determine deficiency and low levels based on established thresholds.

Main Results:

• The mean serum retinol concentration was 0.73 +/- 0.26 mumol/L.
• 5% of children showed vitamin A deficiency (< 0.35 mumol/L), and 44% had low levels (< 0.70 mumol/L).
• 18% of children exhibited poor vitamin A status via CIC, though correlation with serum retinol was poor.

Conclusions:

• A significant prevalence of subclinical vitamin A deficiency exists in this peri-urban informal settlement.
• CIC is a feasible method but may not align with serum retinol thresholds in this population.
• Targeted vitamin A intervention strategies are recommended for these preschool children.