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BACKGROUND: Iron plays an essential role in the process of neurotransmitter synthesis and neuron myelination. Iron deficiency impacts low cognitive performance, even involved in long-term effects even though iron deficiency has been overcome. Given the impact caused by iron deficiency, it is necessary to monitor the status of iron in the body. Diagnostic tests carried out so far use blood specimens taken with invasive method. This creates fear for the child because of the pain it causes. AIM: This study aims to obtain a non-invasive alternative diagnostic test in detecting iron deficiency in children using saliva as an examination specimen. METHODS: The design of this study was case control, with a sample of elementary school children aged 9–12 years and for women who had not experienced menstruation. The sample consisted of 40 people who were taken randomly and grouped into iron deficiency and normal. Determine the group of iron deficiency and normal was based on the results of an examination of serum iron levels. Next, saliva samples were taken to determine saliva iron levels. The characteristics of the sample data were obtained through a questionnaire, while the measurement of serum iron levels was carried out by the spectrophotometric method, and the measurement of saliva iron levels was carried out by the ELISA method. Data were analyzed using Spearman’s test. RESULTS: Based on serum iron measurements, it was found that the mean serum iron levels in children with iron deficiency were lower than normal children (38.153 ± 8.99 q/dL vs. 79.198 ± 14.2219 q/dL), on the contrary, on examination of iron levels, it was found that in children with iron deficiency, saliva iron levels were higher than in normal children (5.745 ± 3.04 q/dL vs. 2,576 ± 1.43 q/dL). The correlation test results showed a significant negative correlation between serum iron levels and moderate iron levels (p = 0.000, r = –0.518). CONCLUSION: Saliva iron levels can be used as an alternative non-invasive diagnostic test to assess children’s iron status.

Latar belakang: Zinc merupakan salah satu mikronutrien penting yang dibutuhkan oleh tubuh. Rendahnya zinc dalam tubuh akan menghambat efek metabolit hormon pertumbuhan atau GH, sehingga sintesis dan sekresi Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) berkurang dan berdampak terhadap reterdasi pertumbuhan.  Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis hubungan antara kadar zinc serum dan kadar IGF-1 serum pada anak Sekolah Dasar di Kecamatan Tuah Negeri Kabupaten Musi Rawas. Metode: Desain penelitian ini adalah cross sectional, dengan sampel anak Sekolah Dasar usia 7-13 tahun. Sampel berjumlah 79 orang yang diambil secara  random. Dilakukan pengukuran status gizi berdasarkan TB/U dan  pengambilan darah untuk  pengukuran kadar Zn dan IGF-1 serum. Adapun data karakteristik sampel diperoleh melalui kuesioner, sedangkan pengukuran kadar Zn dan IGF-1 serum dilakukan dengan metode ELISA. Selanjutnya data dianalisis menggunakan uji chi-square. Hasil: berdasarkan pengukuran status gizi didapatkan   19 (24%) anak mengalami stunting dan 60 (76%) anak memiliki status gizi normal. Pada anak stunting 89.5% mempunyai kadar Zn yang rendah dan 78.9% mempunyai kadar IGF-1 yang rendah. Hasil analisis bivariat didapatkan p=0.017 dan PR=5.667 untuk hubungan antara status gizi dan kadar Zn serum; p=0.000 dan PR=8.983 untuk hubungan antara kadar Zn serum dengan kadar IGF-1 serum. terdapat hubungan yang bermakna antara status gizi dengan kadar Zn serum dan kadar Zn serum dengan IGF-1 serum. Kesimpulan:  Anak yang mengalami stunting beresiko 5.667 kali mempunyai kadar Zn yang rendah dan anak dengan kadar Zn serum  yang rendah beresiko 8.983 kali mempunyai kadar IGF-1 serum yang rendah juga. Zn dan IGF-1 diperlukan dalam proses pertumbuhan anak. Perlunya edukasi kesehatan tentang pentingnya asupan zinc pada orang tua, agar kebutuhan Zn pada anak dapat terpenuhi.

BACKGROUND: Iron deficiency is the leading cause of iron deficiency anemia and is a health problem for children in developing countries. School-age children are susceptible to iron deficiency because children’s growth and development require iron. Although iron is needed for children’s growth and development, iron also plays a role in cognitive function. Many factors cause iron deficiency in children. AIM: This study aims to determine the most dominant factor causing iron deficiency in elementary school children. METHODS: The design of this study was case-control, with a sample of elementary school children aged 9–12 years in the Tuah Negeri Subdistrict. After examining the serum iron, children were grouped into two groups, namely, iron deficiency and normal. Each group consists of 85 children, and the total sample is 170 children. Measurement of serum iron levels was done by spectrophotometric method, while data on children’s characteristics were obtained through questionnaires. In addition, nutritional status measurements were also carried out to determine whether the child was stunted, measurements based on TB/U, and Z-score was calculated using Anthro 1.02 software. Finally, the data were analyzed by univariate, bivariate, and multivariate using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22. RESULTS: Based on the child characteristics data, 60% of children aged >10–12 years, 54.1% were female, and 23.5% of children were stunted. Data on the characteristics of parents obtained 67.6% of mothers and 74.1% of fathers with low education; 84.1% of mothers and 55.3% of fathers work as farmers, and 54.7% have low economic status. Bivariate results showed that two characteristic variables, namely, economic status (p = 0.003) and nutritional status (p < 0.001), were significantly related to the incidence of iron deficiency in children. The results of multivariate analysis showed that children with low economic status were at risk of 2.361 times (p = 0.011) of having an iron deficiency while stunting children were at risk of 6.785 times (p < 0.001) of having iron deficiency. CONCLUSION: Stunting is the dominant factor associated with iron deficiency in elementary school children in Tuah Negeri Sub-district.

BACKGROUND: Children in rural areas are susceptible to zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency in children can affect cognitive function in children. Zinc plays a role in cellular function and critical brain growth processes, including cell replication, DNA and RNA synthesis, and the release of neurotransmitters. AIM: This study aimed to analyze the condition of zinc deficiency and its relationship with the level of intelligence in children in rural areas. METHODS: The study design was cross-sectional, with a sample of 44 elementary school children aged 9–12 years taken randomly. Blood was drawn to measure serum Zn-levels, and serum Zn-levels were measured using Colorimetric Assay Kit (E-BC-K137). Zinc intake data were obtained from the food recall form, which was carried out 3 × 24 h. The level of intelligence is measured by the Culture Fair Intelligence Test method. The sample characteristics data obtained through a questionnaire. Furthermore, the data were analyzed using the Chi-square test. RESULTS: About 84.2% of children with insufficient zinc intake had low serum Zn-levels. There was a significant relationship between zinc intake and serum zinc levels (p = 0.026; PR = 4.293). Children with low serum zinc levels of 96.5% have intelligence levels below average. There was a significant relationship between serum zinc levels and intelligence level as well (p = 0.001; PR = 24,500). CONCLUSION: Zinc deficiency in children is characterized by low serum Zn-levels. Low serum Zn-level is caused by low zinc intake, thus children with low serum Zn-levels are at risk of having intelligence level below average. Therefore, health education about the importance of zinc intake in children should be given to parents, so that the incidence of zinc deficiency in children can be reduced.