IRON DEFICIENCY is widespread in vulnerable groups in Jamaica such as pregnant women and children under four years old, concludes a Caribbean Food and Nutrition (CFNI) study assessing the vitamin A, beta-carotene and iron status in Jamaica.
The researchers say that current health programmes have not been successful and new ones should target all vulnerable groups, especially infants and pregnant women. They also say that remedial measures should include dietary diversification, food fortification, supplementation and the promotion of breastfeeding.
On the other hand, vitamin A programmes appear to be doing much better. The researchers report that overt vitamin A deficiency was rare among the groups study, though marginal deficiency was found in high proportions.
"This indicates that current programmes to ensure the availability and consumption of vitamin A are effective in maintaining very low clinical manifestations of the deficiency but are not sufficient to eradicate it," the researchers say.
The researchers advocate more promotion of foods rich in vitamin A or beta carotene such as dark green leafy vegetables and deep yellow fruits and vegetables.
The study was conducted between 1997 and 1998 by a CFNI micronutrient working group Georgiana Gordon, Pauline Johnson, Audrey Morris and Fitzroy Henry. Besides Jamaica, four other Caribbean countries Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, Commonwealth of Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines were assessed. The study's three target groups, considered as the most vulnerable, were children one to four years, school-age children five to 16 years and pregnant women.
The highest prevalence of anaemia was found among the groups of pregnant women (51.3 per cent) and children one to four years old (48.2 per cent) comparing to the 23.5 per cent found among the school-age children. Among the younger children more boys were anaemic but among the five to 16 years old children, more girls than boys were anaemic.
Deficiency in iron can have serious health implications for children such as impaired growth, cognition and development as well as fatigue. The implications are also grave among pregnant women, the CFNI says that it can result in pregnancy complications, pre-term birth, low birth weight infants and maternal mortality.
