title: Prevalence and predictors of low serum retinol and hypoalbuminaemia among children in rural Peninsular Malaysia.
abstract: Vitamin A deficiency and malnutrition are still considered public health problems in rural areas of developing countries, including Malaysia. A cross-sectional exploration study was carried out on 281 Orang Asli (Aborigine) children aged between 2 and 15 years in Selangor, Malaysia. The overall prevalence of low serum retinol (<70 micromol/l) and hypoalbuminaemia (<35 g/l) were 25.2 and 7.8%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that severe ascariasis, significant stunting and giardiasis were significantly associated with low concentration of serum retinol. As well as intestinal parasitic infections, low socio-economic status was a significant predictor of hypoalbuminaemia. Logistic regression analysis identified severe ascariasis and significant stunting as predictors of low serum retinol, while mixed intestinal parasitic infection and low household income were predictors of hypoalbuminaemia. In conclusion, control measures for intestinal parasitic infections should be included as one of the strategies for the prevention and control of malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. halmekhlafi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: M Hesham
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Al-Mekhlafi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azlin
authors.forename: U Nor
authors.initials: UN
authors.lastname: Aini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaik
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sa'iah
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Norhayati
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001196:Ascariasis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D034141:Hypoalbuminemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A