Abstract
What is already known on this topic?Iron deficiency (ID) is the most widespread micronutrient deficiency and have several adverse effects on health. Consequences of ID among children include delayed psychomotor development and impaired cognitive performance, which makes it important to monitor the iron status of children.What is added by this report?In this study, the serum ferritin (SF) level was 56.6 (95% CI: 56.0–57.2) ng/mL in 65,293 children aged 6–17 years old in the National Nutrition and Health Surveillance in China in 2016–2017. ID prevalence varied significantly in children stratified by sex, age, and regions ranging from 1.0% to 28.1% judged by the standard of SF<15 ng/mL and SF<25 ng/mL. ID prevalence in females aged 12–17 years was the highest among children aged 6–17 years.What are the implications for public health practice?Understanding iron status of school children could provide evidence and data for developing policies and strategies for ID and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) control and prevention. Females aged 12–17 years showed high ID prevalence, and iron-rich food interventions are strongly recommended.
Highlights
This study explored the status of serum ferritin (SF) and Iron deficiency (ID) based on SF among children aged 6–17 years in China
SF is the best indicator to reflect the body iron store and could be measured by standardized laboratory assays as well as established cut-offs, but SF is considered as an acute-phase protein
The prevalence of ID among children aged 6–17 years was estimated to be 4.9% in China according to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation
Summary
The serum ferritin (SF) level was 56.6 (95% CI: 56.0–57.2) ng/mL in 65,293 children aged 6–17 years old in the National Nutrition and Health Surveillance in China in 2016–2017. Iron deficiency (ID) is the most prevalent micronutrient deficiency worldwide, resulting in adverse health outcomes including anemia, impaired muscle function, poor immune function, delayed psychomotor development, and impaired cognitive performance in children in the short and long term [1,2]. Available indicators in different stages contain serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), zinc protoporphyrin, transferrin saturation, body iron stores, hemoglobin, reticulocyte hemoglobin, and hepcidin, etc. Each indicator has their own strengths and limitations.
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