Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is one of major nutritional problem in
Southeast Asia. The signs and symptoms of VAD are xerophthalmia, night
blindness, irreversible blindness, nonspecific symptoms include increased
morbidity and mortality, poor reproductive health, increased risk of anaemia,
and contributions to slowed growth and development. It was estimated that about
3 million children have some form of xerophthalmia and, on the basis of blood
levels, another 250 million are subclinically deficient1. For night blindness in preschoolage-children,
data coverage was highest in South-East Asia (82.4%). Prevalence of serum
retinol <0.70 µmol/l, which is included as VAD symptom, in South-East Asia
is defined as the highest (49.9%) as well2.
VAD is a disabling and potentially fatal public health problem for
children under 6 years of age. VAD related blindness is most prevalent in
children under 3 years of age3. This period of life is characterized
by high requirements for vitamin A to support rapid growth, and the transition
from breastfeeding to dependence on other dietary sources of the vitamin. In
addition, adequate intake of vitamin A reduces the risk of catching respiratory
and gastrointestinal infections. The increased mortality risk from concurrent
infections extends at least to 6 years of age and is associated with both
clinical and subclinical VAD4.
Three main intervention strategies are increasing the dietary
intake of foods rich in vitamin A and pro-vitamin A, periodic administration of
large doses of vitamin A, and fortification. For the majority of communities,
the most logical and least expensive long-range solution is to change dietary
practices3.
Variety of foods rich in vitamin A:
- Red Palm Oil
- Eggs, Milk, Meat
- Fish Oil
- Sweet Potatoe (Cooked)
- Carrots (Cooked)
- Dark Leafy Greens (Kale, Cooked)
- Squash (Butternut, Cooked)
- Cos or Romaine Lettuce
- Dried Apricots
1WHO. 1995. Global prevalence of vitamin A
deficiency. Geneva, World Health Organization,
(WHO/NUT/95.3).
2WHO. 2009. Global prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in
populations at risk 1995-2005: WHO Global Database on Vitamin A Deficiency.
Geneva, WHO.
3Sommer, Alfred. 1994. Vitamin A Deficiency and Its Consequences: A
field guide to detection and control. Third Ed. Geneva, WHO.
4Beaton GH et al.
1993. Effectiveness of vitamin A supplementation in the control of young
child morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Geneva, United
Nations Administrative Committee on Coordination/Subcommittee on Nutrition,
(ACC/SCN State-of-the-art Series, Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper No. 13).