Open Access<p>Prevalence and Associated Factors of Clinical Vitamin A Deficiency Among Pre-School Children 1–5 Years of Age in Rural Kebeles in Farta District, South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia: A Mixed Methods Study</p>
Author(s) -
Hiwot Yisak,
Rishah Elmneh,
Wubet Taklual,
Amien Ewunetei,
Belayneh Kefale
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of multidisciplinary healthcare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 30
ISSN - 1178-2390
DOI - 10.2147/jmdh.s279571
Subject(s) - medicine , vitamin a deficiency , environmental health , pediatrics , cross sectional study , childhood blindness , population , logistic regression , public health , rural area , family medicine , optometry , vitamin , nursing , pregnancy , retinol , pathology , retinopathy of prematurity , biology , genetics , gestational age
Globally, pre-school children are the most at-risk population groups for vitamin A deficiency (VAD). The 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) report stated that one-third (190 million) of pre-school children worldwide are deficient in vitamin A. Both clinical and subclinical VAD have been a long-standing problem in developing countries. In Ethiopia, VAD was recognized as a public health problem 4-5 decades before. Since then, researches conducted in other parts of the country still showed varied and high prevalence, which is 2-8 times higher than WHO cut-off points. This community-based study was therefore conducted on pre-school children of rural kebeles in Farta district to determine the prevalence of clinical VAD (Bitot's spot and night blindness) and associated factors.