title: Vitamin A status of healthy children in Manisa, Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health nutrition problem in the developing world. Even subclinical Vitamin A deficiency is associated with increased childhood mortality. Severe maternal vitamin A deficiency may cause increased mortality in the first months of life. There have been a limited number of studies regarding vitamin A status in Turkey. The aim of this study was to assess vitamin A status of healthy children in Manisa, Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Vitamin A status of 100 healthy children aged 36-48 months is evaluated. The children were seen during routine examination. Serum retinol concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Duration of breast feeding, age solid foods introduced, use of supplementary vitamins, weight and height, and intake of specific groups of nutrients on a daily, weekly and monthly basis were collected from a questionnaire completed by the mothers. Height and weight z-scores were calculated according to national standards. Mothers of 20 of the 100 children were known to have normal serum and breast milk retinol concentrations. Children with normal serum retinol concentration were compared with the children with VAD. Student's t-test and Mann-Whitney test were used to compare independent variables. The Pearson correlation analysis test was used to test relation between numeric variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean retinol concentration was 0.98 ± 0.32 μmol/L in the whole study group. Serum retinol concentrations were normal (>0.70 μmol/L) in 89% of the children. When children with normal serum retinol concentrations were compared with those with retinol concentrations lower than 0.70 μmol/L, there was no difference in terms of age, gender, weight and height at the time of study, z-scores, birth weight, birth length, duration of breast feeding, time to begin solid food, rate of supplementary vitamin use, and rate of infections (P > 0.05). There was not any relation between vitamin A concentrations and weight and height at the time of study, z-scores, birth weight, birth length, duration of breast feeding, time to begin solid food, vitamin use, and frequency of intake of specific groups of nutrients (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that VAD is a moderate health problem in Manisa.
authors.affiliation: Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Manisa, Turkey. ntansug@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Nermin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tansuğ
authors.forename: Muzaffer
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.forename: Selcan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ceşme
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taneli
authors.forename: Salih
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gözmen
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tokuşoğlu
authors.forename: Dilek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.forename: Gönül
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dinç
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A
references.citation: Turk J Pediatr. 1995 Jul-Sep;37(3):187-92
references.pmid: 7502354
references.citation: J Nutr. 2002 Sep;132(9 Suppl):2857S-2866S
references.pmid: 12221262
references.citation: J Nutr. 2001 May;131(5):1510-2
references.pmid: 11340108
references.citation: J Infect Dis. 1993 May;167(5):1003-7
references.pmid: 8486934
references.citation: Am J Clin Nutr. 1984 Nov;40(5):1090-5
references.pmid: 6496388
references.citation: Bull World Health Organ. 1995;73(5):703-11
references.pmid: 8846497
references.citation: Am J Epidemiol. 2000 Sep 15;152(6):542-7
references.pmid: 10997544
references.citation: Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2000 Jan;14(1):64-9
references.pmid: 10703036
references.citation: J Pediatr. 1996 Apr;128(4):489-96
references.pmid: 8618182
references.citation: Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2008 Mar;59(2):166-74
references.pmid: 17852471
references.citation: Assignment Child. 1987;(3):3-84
references.pmid: 12280886
references.citation: J Nutr. 2000 Nov;130(11):2675-82
references.pmid: 11053506