Resumen

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.

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