PROMOTION OF VITAMIN A STATUS THROUGH HORTICULTURE INTERVENTION
Loading...
Date
2001-08-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES GKVK BANGALORE
Abstract
The investigation focused on vitamin A status and impact of synthetic
and horticulture intervention on vitamin A status. Vitamin A status of 153 school
children of Dharwad taluk was assessed by dietary, anthropometry, clinical and
biochemical analysis. Children with serum retinol level less than 20pg/100ml were
included in intervention study. Children from group-I formed the control, a single
massive oral dose of 2.00,000 ID of vitamin A was given to group-II, horticultural
intervention was given to group-Ill daily for 3 months, where standardized recipes
(fenugreek chapathi. drumstick leaves chapathi and carrot bhaji) met days's vitamin A
allowance (2400(ig/day). Serum retinol level, haemoglobin level, anthropometric
parameters and morbidity pattern were recorded before and after supplementation
period.
The intake of all the nutrients of sample was less compared to
recommended dietary allowances. The adequacy of iron and p-carotene was less
than 50 per cent. As per Waterlow's classification, 29.41, 62.09, 5.23 and 3.27 per
cent were in normal, stunting, wasting and stunting and wasting group, respectively.
Majority fell in the category of low level of serum retinol and anemic group. The
prevalence of xerosis, night blindness and bitot's spots was 4.58, 0.65 and 0.65 per
cent, respectively. Significant association between adequacy of protein, p-carotene,
fat and serum retinol level and blood forming nutrients and haemogloDin level was
apparent. A significant relationship was also evident between haemoglobin level
and serum retinol level.
Both synthetic vitamin A and horticulture intervention improved the
serum retinol, haemoglobin level and anthropometric parameters. The synthetic
supplementation showed high increment value for serum retinol level compared to
horticulture supplementation group. Nevertheless, the increment value for
anthropometry and haemoglobin level was high and there was a clear decrease in
the episodes of illness in horticulture intervention group. Hence, horticulture
intervention is cost effective, long-term, natural and sustainable strategy to solve
existing vitamin A deficiency problem.
Description
Keywords
null