Vitamin A supplementation in Cambodia: program coverage and association with greater maternal formal education.
Vitamin A supplementation reduces morbidity, mortality, and blindness among children in developing countries. The objective of this study is to characterize the coverage of the Cambodian national vitamin A program among preschool children and to identify risk factors for not receiving vitamin A supplementation. The study subjects were preschool children and their families who participated in the 2005 Cambodian Demographic and Health Survey (CDHS), a nationally representative survey. Of 1,547 preschool children, aged 12-59 months, 42.8% received a vitamin A capsule within the last six months. There were no significant differences in paternal education, child age, fever within the last 2 weeks, stunting, underweight, or wasting between children who did or did not receive a vitamin A capsule. Maternal education of > or =10 years (Odds Ratio [OR] 2.09, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.02-4.29), 7-9 years (OR 1.46, 95% CI 0.99-2.15), 4-6 years (OR 1.71, 95% CI 1.26-2.32), and 1-3 years (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.10-2.06) was associated with the child receiving a vitamin A capsule compared to no formal education in multivariate analyses adjusting for other potential confounders. The national vitamin A supplementation program in Cambodia did not reach over one-half of preschool children in 2005. Greater maternal formal education appears to be an important determinant for receipt of a vitamin A capsule by preschool children.
Grover
Davinder S
DS
Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Pee
Saskia de
Sd
Sun
Kai
K
Raju
V K
VK
Bloem
Martin W
MW
Semba
Richard D
RD
D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002160:Cambodia / Q000453:epidemiology; D053198:Child Nutrition Sciences / Q000193:education*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
D014801:Vitamin A