Abstract
Biochemical assessment of zinc status of under-five children in orphanages of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria was conducted. The objective of the study was to assess the zinc status of the under- five children in the orphanages of Federal Capital Territory using biochemical method and determine the relationship between the dietary intakes zinc with the biochemical status of the under-five children. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out on 200 under-five orphans, between 0-5 years living in ten orphanages in Abuja, Nigeria. Blood samples were analysed to determine the zinc status of the under-five children also questionnaires were used to collect information on feeding practices of the children. The values obtained from nutrient intakes were compared with FAO/WHO recommended nutrients intake. Biochemical results from this study, revealed high prevalence of zinc deficiency (60.0%) among the under-five children, while less than half (40%) of the children had normal zinc status. It was found that zinc deficiency affected some age groups more than others. Children aged between 25-60 months had the highest prevalence (25.0%) of zinc deficiency while children between the ages of 0-6 months had the least deficiency (15.0%). Result from the chi- square analysis however, showed that there were no significant (P<0.05) difference between zinc deficiency and the ages of the children (χ 2 = 0.876, df=2, p=0.675). The study also revealed that more females were zinc deficient than males. This study revealed a strong association between zinc and stunting. Correlation between the anthropometric results and the micronutrient deficiency of the children in the orphanages showed that there was a significant (P<0.05) relationship between the children that were moderately stunted and zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency is of public health importance in Nigeria therefore more concerted effort by all the stakeholders should be put in place to minimize its menace.
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