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Vitamin A and iron status and intake of fortifiable foods among Cameroonian women and preschool children
Author(s) -
Brown Kenneth H,
EngleStone Reina,
Ndjebayi Alex Ongla,
Erhardt Juergen,
Nankap Martin
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.108.3
Subject(s) - medicine , food science , ferritin , sugar , soluble transferrin receptor , vitamin , iron deficiency , zoology , environmental health , chemistry , iron status , biology , anemia
Prior to initiating a mass food fortification program in Cameroon, a national survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of vitamin A (VAD) and iron deficiency (ID) and intakes of fortifiable foods. We randomly selected 30 clusters in each of 3 zones (North, South, and Large Cities) and 10 households (HH) per cluster, each with a child 12–59mo and a woman 15–49y (n=904 HH). Food intake frequency was assessed by questionnaire. Plasma retinol‐binding protein (RBP), soluble transferrin receptor (sTFR), ferritin, C‐reactive protein (CRP), and α1‐acid‐glycoprotein (AGP) were measured by ELISA. VAD was present in 22.0 ± 1.6% of women and 35.1 ± 2.0% of children (adjusted RBP <1.17μmol/L and <0.83μmol/L). ID was present in 15.2 ± 1.3% of women and 20.6 ± 1.5% of children (adjusted ferritin <15μg/L and <12 μg/L), but varied by indicator. Food intakes were similar for women and children. The % of women who consumed selected foods in the previous week was 54.0% for oil, 92.7% for wheat flour, 83.8% for sugar, and 95.5% for bouillon cube. Mean±SEM intake frequency (times/week) among women who consumed the foods was 9.0 ± 0.4 for oil, 8.5 ± 0.4 for wheat flour, 7.3 ± 0.4 for sugar, and 13.8 ± 0.3 for bouillon cube. VAD and ID are public health problems in Cameroon. Wheat flour, sugar, and bouillon cube are consumed >1 time/day on average by >80% of HH and thus are good candidates for food fortification. Funding sources: MSDF and UNICEF.