Prevalence of low B12 and folate status of Cameroonian women and children, and risk factors for deficiency

Abstract

To establish baseline nutritional status prior to a national fortification program a cross sectional, nationally representative, survey was conducted in 3 ecologic zones of Cameroon (South, North, and Large Cities). Maternal and child micronutrient status, including B12 and folate, and prevalence and deficiency risk factors were assessed in 30 randomly selected clusters/zone and 10 households/cluster. In women of reproductive age and their 12–59 mo old children (n= 391 pairs), plasma B12 & folate concentrations were determined by radioassay, and hemoglobin (Hb) by HemoCue. Mean maternal and child plasma values, respectively, were B12, 375 and 368 pM; folate, 20.9 and 24.3 nM. Prevalence (%) of B12 deficiency (B12<150 pM) in mothers and children was 25 and 24 urban vs. 33 and 34 rural; and folate deficiency (folate<10 nM) 17 and 6 urban vs. 25 and 24 rural. Living in the north, low SES and pregnancy predicted low B12, while folate was highest in the south and negatively associated with SES. Mothers B12 and folate concentrations were correlated with their children (p<0.01). Child Hb was correlated with B12 (r = 0.16, p=0.0017), and maternal Hb with folate (r = 0.15, p= 0.002). There was a moderately high prevalence of vitamin B12 and folate deficiency in women and children in Cameroon, associated with anemia, suggesting a need for programmatic intervention.Funding: Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, UNICEF