Resumo

CARVAJAL FERNANDEZ, Damaris; ALFARO CALVO, Thelma  e  MONGE-ROJAS, Rafael. Deficiencia de Vitamina A en Niños Preescolares: ¿Un Problema reemergente en Costa Rica?. ALAN [online]. 2003, vol.53, n.3, pp.267-270. ISSN 0004-0622.

SUMMARY: Vitamin A Deficiency among Preschool Children: ¿A re-emerging Problem in Costa Rica?. Based on the 1996 National Nutrition Survey, this study shows the prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) among 567 Costa Rican urban and rural 12-83 months old-children. In overall, the prevalence of VAD (plasma retinol £ 20 µg/dl) was 8.8%. No difference was found even when data were analyzed by area and gender. Around 30% of preschool children were at risk of VAD (plasma retinol between 20.1- 30 µg/dl). The proportion of children at risk for retinol deficiency was significantly higher in rural area in comparison with urban area (38.9% and 28.0% respectively, p< 0.05). Lineal regression analysis showed that plasma retinol levels were negatively related to the number of family members and positively related to mother’s schooling. Our results suggest a possible impairment in vitamin A status of preschool children.

Palavras-chave : Plasma retinol; preschool children; vitamin A; Costa Rica.