Objectives:To assess parent's knowledge about children's need for plant sources of vitamin A; to determine the dietary practice with regard to vitamin A intake; to estimate the prevalence of xerophthalmia and; to forward appropriate recommendations. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: The study was conducted in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia, with a total population of about 88,867 from February to April 1995. Participants: Eight hundred and thirty one randomly selected children between the ages of six and 59 months formed the study population. Main outcome measures: The dietary intake of cheap and easily available vitamin A rich foods is assessed and prevalence of xerophthalmlia determined. Results: Only eighty per cent of the children were getting green vegetables, fruits or carrots once weekly or more. The major reasons given for not including vegetables, fruits and carrots in the diet were "cannot afford" (39%), "not available" (33%), and "child too young" (16%). Out of 628 children examined, four (0.6%) were found to have xerophthalmia; three (0.48%) classified as XlB and one (0.16%) as X2. Conclusion:The dietary intake of plant sources of vitamin A in the studied community is far from adequate. Moreover, vitamin A deficiency is found to be a significant public health problem in young children in Jimma town. Periodic vitamin A supplementation, preferably combined with immunisation, should be a priority action, and parents need to be educated about vitamin A deficiency and its prevention.
Submission of an original paper with copyright agreement and authorship responsibility.I (corresponding author) certify that I have participated sufficiently in the conception and design of this work and the analysis of the data (wherever applicable), as well as the writing of the manuscript, to take public responsibility for it. I believe the manuscript represents valid work. I have reviewed the final version of the manuscript and approve it for publication. Neither has the manuscript nor one with substantially similar content under my authorship been published nor is being considered for publication elsewhere, except as described in an attachment. Furthermore I attest that I shall produce the data upon which the manuscript is based for examination by the editors or their assignees, if requested.Thanking you.
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