title: Iron status of adolescent girls from two boarding schools in southern Benin.
abstract: Iron deficiency (ID) is the most prevalent micronutrient deficiency in the world, particularly in developing countries. Blood samples and a qualitative FFQ on Fe- and vitamin C-rich foods were obtained in 180 adolescent girls aged 12 to 17 years living in two boarding schools from south Benin. ID, defined as serum ferritin either 73 micromol/l or transferrin saturation<20%, was found in 32% of subjects. Anaemia (Hb<120 g/l) was found in 51% of adolescents, while 24% suffered from iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) (ID and Hb<20 g/l). After adjusting for confounding factors (age, mother's and father's occupation, household size) in a logistic regression equation, subjects having a low meat consumption (beef, mutton, pork) (<4 times/week) were more than twice as likely to suffer from ID (OR=2.43; 95% CI 1.72, 3.35; P=0.04). Adolescents consuming less fruits (<4 times/week) also had a higher likelihood of suffering from ID (OR=1.53; 95% CI 1.31, 2.80; P=0.03). Finally, subjects whose meat consumption was low were twice as likely to suffer from IDA (OR=2.24; 95% CI 1.01, 4.96; P=0.04). The prevalence of ID represents an important health problem in these Beninese adolescent girls. A higher consumption of Fe-rich foods and of promoters of Fe absorption (meat factor and vitamin C) is recommended to prevent ID deficiency in these subjects.
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences des Aliments et de Nutrition, Université Laval, Québec, Canada, G1K 7P4.
authors.forename: Halimatou
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alaofè
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zee
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dossa
authors.forename: Huguette
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Turgeon O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001541:Benin / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D016015:Logistic Models; D008460:Meat; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron