Original Research Article
Year: 2017 | Month: June | Volume: 7 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 293-300
Vitamin A Status of Rural Women from Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra
Niharika Nahata1, Shobha A Udipi2, Padmini Ghugre3, Aparna Thorat4, Ashwini Salvi4, Erick Boy5
1Postgraduate Student, 2Hon. Director, Integrative Nutrition and Ayurceuticals, Medical Research Centre-Kasturba Health Society and Former Professor and Head, 3Associate Professor and Incharge Head, 4Research Assistant,
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, SNDT Women’s University
5Nutrition Coordinator HARVEST PLUS
Corresponding Author: Aparna Thorat
ABSTRACT
Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem, especially in low income countries including India. Women of reproductive age, pregnant women and preschool children are vulnerable to vitamin A deficiency. Poor vitamin A status is largely attributable to poor intakes of the vitamin. The present study assessed the dietary intake of vitamin A intake and serum retinol levels of rural women of reproductive age, 15 to 48 years of age). Dietary intakes of 898 women from Ahmednagar district were studied and serum retinol was analyzed for a subsample of 200 non-pregnant women. Mean vitamin A intake was 328.0±394.7µg/day, with intakes being significantly and positively influenced by age, income and possession of cattle. Serum retinol levels of 77 percent of women were <0.7 µmol/L, indicative of deficient vitamin A status. Women whose diets provided less than 30 percent of the recommended dietary intakes had the lowest serum retinol levels. The study indicated that rural women had highly inadequate diets that place them at risk of vitamin A deficiency. This situation needs serious and concerted efforts to improve the vitamin A status of the women
Key words: serum retinol, women, reproductive age, vitamin A intakes, possession of cattle, income.