Relação entre níveis de hemoglobina, concentração de retinol sérico e estado nutricional em crianças de 6 a 59 meses do Estado da Paraíba

Abstract

Objective: This study investigated the relationship among hemoglobin level, serum retinol level and nutritional status in children aged 6 to 59 months from the state of Paraíba, Brazil. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, population-based study with 1,108 children of both genders aged 06 to 59 months from the state of Paraíba. Hemoglobin (Hb) level in venous blood was determined by an automatic counter and serum retinol level by high-performance liquid chromatography. Protein-energy nutritional status was assessed by calculating the children's weight-for-age, height-for-age and weight-for-height Z-scores. Proportions were compared by the Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests and the association of hemoglobin level with retinol level and nutritional status by Poisson regression. Results: The prevalences of anemia (Hb≤11. Og/dL) and vitamin A deficiency (<0.70 μmol/L) were 36.5% (CI95% 33.7-39.3) and 21.4% (CI95% 17.3-22.2), respectively. The prevalences of chronic malnutrition (HAZ