Vitamin A and iron status and intake of fortifiable foods among Cameroonian women and preschool children

Abstract

Prior to initiating a mass food fortification program in Cameroon, a national survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of vitamin A (VAD) and iron deficiency (ID) and intakes of fortifiable foods. We randomly selected 30 clusters in each of 3 zones (North, South, and Large Cities) and 10 households (HH) per cluster, each with a child 12–59mo and a woman 15–49y (n=904 HH). Food intake frequency was assessed by questionnaire. Plasma retinol-binding protein (RBP), soluble transferrin receptor (sTFR), ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and α1-acid-glycoprotein (AGP) were measured by ELISA. VAD was present in 22.0 ± 1.6% of women and 35.1 ± 2.0% of children (adjusted RBP <1.17μmol/L and <0.83μmol/L). ID was present in 15.2 ± 1.3% of women and 20.6 ± 1.5% of children (adjusted ferritin <15μg/L and <12 μg/L), but varied by indicator. Food intakes were similar for women and children. The % of women who consumed selected foods in the previous week was 54.0% for oil, 92.7% for wheat flour, 83.8% for sugar, and 95.5% for bouillon cube. Mean±SEM intake frequency (times/week) among women who consumed the foods was 9.0 ± 0.4 for oil, 8.5 ± 0.4 for wheat flour, 7.3 ± 0.4 for sugar, and 13.8 ± 0.3 for bouillon cube. VAD and ID are public health problems in Cameroon. Wheat flour, sugar, and bouillon cube are consumed >1 time/day on average by >80% of HH and thus are good candidates for food fortification. Funding sources: MSDF and UNICEF.