The aims of the present studies were to determine the magnitude of iron deficiency anemia among preschool children in Northern Ethiopia and to evaluate different control strategies. The cross-sectional study showed that anemia was highly prevalent (42%) and that iron deficiency was the commonest cause of anemia. However, the iron deficiency was not due to lack of iron in the diet but to its poor availability and to other non-dietary risk factors. Unsafe water, mother's illness, older child (24--60 months), family not having food reserves and family income below poverty-line were predictors of anemia. Hookworm and malaria were rare and did not account for the anemia. In the iron pot study three types of Ethiopian foods were cooked in three types of pots (iron, aluminum and clay) and assessed for their total and available iron. After adjusting for cooking time and moisture, there were significantly higher total and available iron in all the three types of foods when cooked in iron pots compared to the aluminum or clay pots. The study also showed that the hemoglobin status and length of children improved significantly when they consumed food cooked in iron pots. In the third study, a randomized, placebo-controlled, and double-blind trial, both iron and vitamin A supplemented children showed increased hemoglobin levels. Combined iron and vitamin A supplementation showed the highest rise. Iron-supplemented children showed increase in length, but no increase in weight. They also showed lower rates of c-reactive protein positivity and decreases in the prevalence and frequency of diarrhea. A single dose of vitamin A did not result in any increase in length or weight but a decrease in the prevalence and frequency of diarrhea was observed. Children supplemented with iron only or vitamin A only showed higher ARI rates, but those children who received combined iron and vitamin A showed significantly lower ARI rates. Iron supplementation did not have any effect on either zinc
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.34496 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Adish, Abdulaziz A. |
| Contributors | Johns, Timothy (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001617001, proquestno: NQ36948, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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