Vitamin A is essential for normal health and survival. A deficiency of vitamin A increases mortality in children age 6-60 months. Improving the vitamin A status of deficient children increases their survival by 23% (UNICEF, 1998). In 1993, the Ministry of Health in Nepal initiated a National Vitamin A Program. This program provides high dose (200,000 IU) capsule supplementation to children every six months to reduce child mortality and morbidity associated with vitamin A deficiency. In this study a comparison was made to determine if there was a difference among children who were supplemented during the Vitamin A program in Nepal and those children not supplemented. A total of 875 children were sampled, 439 from a supplemented district and 436 from an unsupplemented district. Comparisons were made between these groups of children in regard to nutritional status, clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency disease, disease status (diarrhea, acute respiratory infection (ARI)), and mother's knowledge of and use of certain health practices. Prevalence ratios were calculated to determine impact of vitamin A on health outcomes in these groups of children. The primary exposure (supplementation status) was compared to the nutritional status of the child, diarrhea, ARI and mother's knowledge and use of certain health practices. Almost half of the children (46%) in the unsupplemented group actually did receive a vitamin A capsule during the National Immunization Day (NID) for polio. This has led to a unique opportunity to compare health characteristics of children who received a capsule more than six months prior to this study.
Learning Objectives: The learner will: Discuss the differences in health characteristics between children supplemented with vitamin A capsules and those not supplemented. Explain how a mother's knowledge and health practices affect health outcomes in her children.
Keywords: Child Health, International Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.