Vitamin a deficiency in children living in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais

Abstract

This descriptive study had as its objective the evaluation of the frequency of vitamin A deficiency in children aged from 6 to 24 months, residents in the municipalities of Vespasiano and Santa Luzia, located in the Belo Horizonte metropolitan region, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Anthropometry and plasma retinol levels were quantified in 173 children of both genders, and a questionnaire was applied to mothers or guardians in order to measure biological, social economic and demographic indicators so as to investigate the relationship between the variables of interest and the retinol levels. Average level of plasma retinol was 1, 0 µmol/L (SD = 0, 4 µmol/L). An inadequate level of plasma retinol (< 0, 7 µmol/L) was observed in 17.7% (31) of the tested children. There was no association between the questionnaire variables and plasma retinol levels. We conclude that the prevalence of hypo vitamin A represents a moderate public health problem in the population under study. It was evident that the development of programs on nutrition education is necessary to stimulate the consumption of food rich in vitamin A to prevent its deficiency in the long run.