title: [Study on vitamin A nutritional status of 6- to 17-year-old urban children and adolescents between 2010 and 2012 in China].
abstract: Objective:To investigate the vitamin A nutritional status of 6- to 17-year-old urban children and adolescents by analyzing serum retinol level, between 2010 and 2012 in China.Methods:Data were obtained from the China Nutrition and Health Survey in 2010-2012. Using multi-stage stratified sampling and the population proportional stratified random sampling method, 6 617 children aged 6-17 years from 32 metropolis and 41 middle-sized and small cities of China were selected. The questionnaire survey was used to collect demographic information. Blood samples were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography to determine serum retinol concentration, and the World Health Organization guidelines were used to evaluate the nutritional status of vitamin A. Vitamin A levels, vitamin A deficiency, and marginal vitamin A deficiency in children with different characteristics were compared.Results:A total of 3 785 cases with valid samples were obtained. The overall mean serum retinol concentration level was (1.49±0.71) μmol/L; the mean serum retinol concentration was (1.55±0.69) μmol/L for metropolis and (1.49±0.75) μmol/L for middle-sized and small cities (P>0.05). The mean serum retinol concentration was (1.52±0.78) μmol/L for boys and (1.47±0.68) μmol/L for girls (P>0.05). The mean serum retinol concentration level was (1.46±0.70) μmol/L for 6- to 11-year-old children and (1.54±0.65) μmol/L for 12- to 17-year-old children (P<0.05). The total vitamin A deficiency rate and marginal vitamin A deficiency rate was 7.69% (291/3 785) and 18.57% (703/3 785), respectively. The vitamin A deficiency rate was 8.00% (36/450) for metropolis and 7.64% (65/3 335) for middle-sized and small cities; 8.12% (155/1 908) for boys and 7.25% (136/1 877) for girls; and 8.04% (171/2 115) for 6- to 11-year-old children and 7.18% (120/1 670) for 12- to 17-year-old children. No significant differences were observed for region, sex, or age (P>0.05). The marginal vitamin A deficiency rate was 19.11% (86/450) for metropolis and 18.50% (617/3 335) for middle-sized and small cities; 18.19% (347/1 908) for boys and 18.97% (356/1 877) for girls, with no significant differences observed (P>0.05). The marginal vitamin A deficiency rate was 16.54% (350/2 115) for 6- to 11-year-old children and 21.13% (353/1 670) for 12- to 17-year-old children (P<0.05).Conclusion:The vitamin A nutritional status of 6- to 17-year-old Chinese urban children and adolescents between 2010 and 2012 has improved, and the gap between cities is narrowing. However, vitamin A deficiency overall remains high, especially in younger children, and requires specific attention.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Key Laboratory of Trace Element Nutrition, National Health and Family Planning Commission, Beijing 100050, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: X B
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: X G
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Piao
authors.forename: D Q
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D014505:Urban Population; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000097:blood*; D014802:Vitamin A Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A
keywords: Children; Cities; Cross-sectional studies; Vitamin A deficiency