Vitamin A and Zinc Status of Children 0-5 Years Living in Ten Orphanages of Abuja, Nigeria
Ngozi Nnam *
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria.
Chizoba Steve-Edemba
Federal Capital Territory Primary Health Care Development Board, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Objectives: Vitamin A and zinc are very important micronutrients for normal growth and development of a child. Vitamin A deficiency predisposes children to infectious diseases and poor growth. Zinc deficiency inhibits growth in children and reduces the child's ability to utilize vitamin A. Dietary intake of the micronutrients may not give accurate picture of the micronutrient status of a child because of bioavailability and bio-conversion. The study examined the vitamin A and zinc status of children (0-5 years) living in ten orphanages of Abuja, Nigeria. The result will provide evidenced based information for nutrition intervention in the orphanages.
Methods: Two hundred under-five orphans aged 0-59 months living in ten orphanages in Abuja, Nigeria were used for the study. Serum retinol and serum zinc levels of the children were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry, respectively. Results were compared with normal serum retinol > 20 µg/dl and serum zinc >80 µg/dl.
Results: Twenty percent of the children had mean serum retinol level of 19.38 µg/dl (<20 µg/dl), which is indicative of vitamin A deficiency while eighty percent had normal serum retinol level (mean value of 28.21 µg/dl). Sixty percent of the children were zinc deficient with mean serum zinc level of 56.87 µg/dl (<80 µg/dl) while 40% had normal zinc levels with mean serum zinc of 94.52 µg/dl.
Conclusions: Some of the children are deficient in vitamin A and zinc. There is need for nutrition intervention to improve dietary intake of vitamin A and zinc rich foods in the orphanages.