title: Zinc deficiency: descriptive epidemiology and morbidity among preschool children in peri-urban population in Delhi, India.
abstract: Community-based data relating to factors influencing zinc deficiency among preschool children in India are inadequate. Data of a large, double-blinded, randomized, controlled zinc-supplementation trial were used for assessing the descriptive epidemiology of zinc deficiency among children aged 6-35 months (n = 940). In total, 609 children were followed up for 120 days for information on morbidity. Of these children, 116 from the control group belonging to the upper and the lower 25th quartile of plasma zinc status at baseline were selected for assessing the association of zinc deficiency with prospective morbidity. At baseline, demographic, socioeconomic and dietary information was collected, and anthropometric measurements and levels of plasma zinc were assessed. At baseline, 73.3% of the children were zinc-deficient (plasma zinc < 70 microg/dL), of which 33.8% had levels of plasma zinc below 60 microg/dL. A significantly higher risk of morbidity was prevalent among the subjects with lower plasma zinc compared to those with higher levels of plasma zinc.
authors.affiliation: Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Usha
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dhingra
authors.forename: Girish
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hiremath
authors.forename: Venugopal P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Menon
authors.forename: Pratibha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dhingra
authors.forename: Archana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sazawal
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003677:Deficiency Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004403:Dysentery / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D014504:Urban Health; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D015032:Zinc