Association of dietary intake with micronutrient deficiency in Indian school children: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Adequate nutrition is necessary during childhood and early adolescence for adequate growth and development. Hence, the objective of the study was to assess the association between dietary intake and blood levels of minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium) and vitamins (folate, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and vitamin D) in urban school going children aged 6-16 years in India, in a multicentric cross-sectional study. Participants were enrolled from randomly selected schools in ten cities. Three-day food intake data was collected using a 24-h dietary recall method. The intake was dichotomised into adequate and inadequate. Blood samples were collected to assess levels of micronutrients. From April 2019 to February 2020, 2428 participants (50·2% females) were recruited from 60 schools. Inadequate intake for calcium was in 93·4% (246·5 ± 149·4 mg), iron 86·5% (7·6 ± 3·0 mg), zinc 84·0% (3·9 ± 2·4 mg), selenium 30·2% (11·3 ± 9·7 mcg), folate 73·8% (93·6 ± 55·4 mcg), vitamin B12 94·4% (0·2 ± 0·4 mcg), vitamin A 96·0% (101·7 ± 94·1 mcg), and vitamin D 100·0% (0·4 ± 0·6 mcg). Controlling for sex and socioeconomic status, the odds of biochemical deficiency with inadequate intake for iron [AOR = 1·37 (95% CI 1·07-1·76)], zinc [AOR = 5·14 (95% CI 2·24-11·78)], selenium [AOR = 3·63 (95% CI 2·70-4·89)], folate [AOR = 1·59 (95% CI 1·25-2·03)], and vitamin B12 [AOR = 1·62 (95%CI 1·07-2·45)]. Since there is a significant association between the inadequate intake and biochemical deficiencies of iron, zinc, selenium, folate, and vitamin B12, regular surveillance for adequacy of micronutrient intake must be undertaken to identify children at risk of deficiency, for timely intervention.