[Prevalence of iron and iodine deficiency, and parasitosis among children from Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico].
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of iron deficiency, iodine deficiency and parasitosis in children attending the Instituto Alteño para el Desarrollo de Jalisco (Highlands Institute for Development of Jalisco State, INADEJ), Arandas, Jalisco, Mexico.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted between 1997 and 1999, among 432 children aged 12 to 120 months attending the INADEJ. Measurements included hematological values, urine iodine concentration, and presence of parasites. Student's t test chi square tests were used for parametric and nonparametric analysis.


RESULTS
The prevalence figures of anemia (20 vs 7.4%, p = 0.007) and iron deficiency (60.9 vs 44.4%, p = 0.02) were higher in preschool than in school children. Iodine deficiency was found in 29% (10.5% moderate or severe) and parasitosis in 47.2% of children, mainly E. histolytica (30.2%) and G. lamblia (28.9%). Low income, male gender and lack of social security policy holding were associated to parasitosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence rates of iron deficiency, iodine deficiency, and parasitosis, should be addressed by state health services with effective interventions to restrain these preventable diseases. The English version of this paper is available at: http://www.insp.mx/salud/index.html.
Instituto de Nutrición Humana, Unidad de Investigación en Ciencias de la Salud, Edificio Anexo al Hospital Civil Dr. Juan I. Menchaca, 3o. Piso, Salvador Quevedo y Zubieta #750, 44340, S.L. Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. inhu@cucs.udg.mx
Edgar Manuel
EM
Vásquez-Garibay
Enrique
E
Romero-Velarde
Francisco
F
Nápoles-Rodríguez
María Eugenia
ME
Nuño-Cosío
Francisco
F
Trujillo-Contreras
Oscar
O
Sánchez-Mercado
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007455:Iodine / Q000172:deficiency*; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence
D007455:Iodine