Abstract

MORASSO, María del Carmen et al. Prevalence of anemia, iron and vitamin A deficiencies in children between 6 to 24 months of age in Chaco, Argentina.. ALAN [online]. 2003, vol.53, n.1, pp.21-27. ISSN 0004-0622.

SUMMARY: To determine the prevalence of anemia, and iron (ID) and vitamin A deficiencies aiming at their prevention, 414 children between 6 and 24 months of age, were randomly selected from the whole province of Chaco. A sociodemographic survey was implemented, and hemoglobin (Hb), plasma ferritin and retinol were measured. Anemia prevalence (Hb <110 g/L) was 66.4%, without differences between age groups, and included 18% with Hb < 90 g/L. These cases were significantly less in children 6-8 month of age (5.1%) than in the others (@ 20 %) (P: 0.007). Mean Hb was also higher in 6 - 8 months old children and was associated with lower prevalence of ID (ferritin <12 µg/L) (p < 0.000) but not with age (p= 0.8865). ID already present, however, in 36.6% of children in this age group, reached a prevalence of 72.9% in children older than 18 months. Anemia prevalence was significantly higher in males, in children whose birth weight was < 3000 g, in those who had never taken iron supplements and among the poor, both structural and by income. Retinol values < 20m g /dl occurred only in 5.1% of children. Iron nutrition prior to, during pregnancy and in children during the first 2 years of life must be improved by joining strategies based on community empowerment aimed at improving dietary iron, assuring effective preventive supplementation and promoting the opportune umbilical cord ligation.

Keywords : Iron; anemia; vitamin A; children; sociodemographic factors; Chaco Argentina.