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Subclinical vitamin A deficiency in Israeli-Bedouin toddlers

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 58, pages 796–802 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of and evaluate risk factors for subclinical vitamin A deficiency in Arab-Bedouin children at age 18 months, followed from birth.

Design: Community-based, prospective, cohort study conducted in Rahat, a large Arab-Bedouin township, located near the city of Beer Sheva in the Negev region of southern Israel.

Subjects: Healthy Bedouin infants (n=117) from the township, born at Soroka University Medical Center (SUMC) in Beer Sheva, were randomly recruited at birth. Enrollment was restricted to well infants born weighing >2500 g at birth.

Results: More than 15% of the children had serum retinol concentrations below 0.7 μmol/l. Male sex (odds ratio (OR) 4.17 [1.14–15.32], P=0.031), stunting at age 12 months (OR 10.09 [2.00–50.97], P=0.05) and warm season at age 18 months (OR 6.20 [1.36–28.28], P=0.018) were associated with vitamin A deficiency. Maternal education decreased the risk of vitamin A deficiency (OR 0.81 [0.68–0.95], P=0.011).

Conclusions: Study results indicate a significant vitamin A deficiency problem among Bedouin children. Deficiency may be prevented by increasing dietary intake of vitamin A, especially during the warm season. Other interventions include preventing and controlling diarrheal diseases in order to avert nutritional stunting, and providing nutritional education to women of childbearing age.

Sponsorship: This study received financial support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AI-26497), the US–Israel Bi-national Science Foundation (BSF 90-00257), and the National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine (AID/ANE 0158-G-SS-9035-00).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. S Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

    C L Coles & D Fraser

  2. Epidemiology and Health Services Evaluation Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

    A Levy & D Fraser

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Soroka University Medical Center/Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

    R Gorodischer

  4. Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit, Soroka University Medical Center/Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

    R Dagan

  5. Department of Pediatrics and Institute of Human Nutrition, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA

    R J Deckelbaum & W S Blaner

Authors
  1. C L Coles
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  2. A Levy
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  3. R Gorodischer
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  4. R Dagan
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  5. R J Deckelbaum
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  6. W S Blaner
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  7. D Fraser
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Contributions

Guarantor: D Fraser.

Contributors: CLC analysed data and wrote the initial and final manuscripts. AL was the study coordinator and contributed to the design, collection of data and editing of manuscripts. RG contributed to the interpretation of the nutritional analyses and to editing the manuscripts. RD supervised the microbiological aspects of the study and contributed to the microbiological analysis of the stool specimens, and editing the manuscripts. RJD and DF wrote the grant proposal and edited manuscripts. WSB supervised the laboratory processing and analyses of the blood specimens. DF contributed to the design, analysis and editing of the final manuscripts.

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Correspondence to D Fraser.

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Coles, C., Levy, A., Gorodischer, R. et al. Subclinical vitamin A deficiency in Israeli-Bedouin toddlers. Eur J Clin Nutr 58, 796–802 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601879

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601879

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