title: Concurrent iron and zinc deficiencies in lactating mothers and their children 6-23 months of age in two agro-ecological zones of rural Ethiopia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to examine the co-occurrences of low serum ferritin and zinc and anaemia among mothers and their children in two agro-ecological zones of rural Ethiopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from 162 lactating mothers and their breast fed children aged 6-23 months. The data were collected via a structured interview, anthropometric measurements, and blood tests for zinc, ferritin and anaemia. Correlation, Chi-square and multivariable analysis were used to determine the association between nutritional status of mothers and children, and agro-ecological zones.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Low serum levels of iron and zinc, anaemia and iron deficiency anaemia were found in 44.4, 72.2, 52.5 and 29.6% of children and 19.8, 67.3, 21.8, 10.5% of mothers, respectively. There was a strong correlation between the micronutrient status of the mothers and the children for ferritin, zinc and anaemia (p < 0.005). Deficiency in both zinc and ferritin and one of the two was observed in 19.1, and 53.7% of the mothers and 32.7 and 46.3%, of their children, respectively. In the 24 h before the survey, 82.1% of mothers and 91.9% of their infants consumed foods that can decrease zinc bioavailability while only 2.5% of mothers and 3.7% of their infants consumed flesh foods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that micronutrient deficiencies were prevalent among lactating mothers and their children, with variation in prevalence across the agro-ecological zones. This finding calls for a need to design effective preventive public health nutrition programs to address both the mothers' and their children's needs.
authors.affiliation: College of Health and Medical Science, Haramaya Univesity, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.|School of Food and Nutritional Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Kedir Teji
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Roba
authors.affiliation: School of Food and Nutritional Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: Thomas P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.affiliation: Department of Population and Family Health, College of Public Health and Medical Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Tefera
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Belachew
authors.affiliation: School of Food and Nutritional Science, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. nob@ucc.ie.
authors.forename: Nora M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000208:ethnology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003677:Deficiency Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000208:ethnology; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007227:Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000208:ethnology; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D007774:Lactation / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000208:ethnology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000208:ethnology; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health / Q000208:ethnology; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron; D015032:Zinc
keywords: Ethiopia; Ferritin; Haemoglobin; Mother and children; Zinc