Dietary vitamin A intake and the risk of mortality among children.
Increased consumption of dietary vitamin A is advocated as a long-term solution to vitamin A deficiency. We prospectively examined the relationship of dietary vitamin A intake and child mortality among 28,753 Sudanese children aged 6 mo to 6 y, who participated in a trial of vitamin A supplementation. After 18 mo of follow-up, 232 children died. Total dietary vitamin A intake was strongly and inversely associated with risk of mortality. The age- and sex-adjusted relative risk (RR) of mortality for a comparison of children in extreme quintiles was 0.35 (95% CIs 0.21-0.60; P for trend over quintiles < 0.0001). Even after possible confounding by socioeconomic variables was adjusted for, vitamin A intake was significantly protective (multi-variate relative risk 0.53). Dietary vitamin A intake was especially protective among children who were wasted and stunted or who had diarrhea or cough. These prospective data support an important role of dietary vitamin A in reducing childhood mortality in developing countries.
Fawzi
W W
WW
Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.
Herrera
M G
MG
Willett
W C
WC
Nestel
P
P
el Amin
A
A
Lipsitz
S
S
Mohamed
K A
KA
D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003371:Cough / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000401:mortality; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000401:mortality; D004032:Diet; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D013397:Sudan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control
D014801:Vitamin A