Zinc Deficiency And Growth Status In Children Aged 6-60 Months In Rural Honduras

Zinc is an essential trace mineral and its importance in growth and immune function has been established in young children; however, little is known about the prevalence of zinc deficiency in Honduras. The purpose was to determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency and its association with growth status within children ages 6–60 months in rural Honduras. The randomized cross‐sectional study was conducted in two rural Honduran health regions. Hair samples were used to determine zinc status. <−2 z‐score was used to determine stunting (height‐for‐age); wasting (weight‐for‐height); and underweight (weight‐for‐age). Zinc deficiency was defined as <70 μg/g and marginal deficiency as 70–100 μg/g. Bivariate correlations and chi square were used to determine zinc's association with growth status. 217 children aged 6–60 months (56.7% female) participated. Hair samples were obtained from 179 children. 15% of children were zinc deficient and 26% were marginally deficient. 60% of children were stunted, 4% wasted, and 16% underweight. No statistically significant associations were seen between zinc deficiency and growth status or gender. There was a high prevalence of zinc deficiency and a very high prevalence of stunting within children in the regions evaluated; therefore, additional research is required to determine prevalence of zinc deficiency and its associations with growth status throughout other regions of the country. Grant Funding Source : USDA NIFA Competitive Grant 2011–67002‐30202 and USDA, SD Agricultural Experiment Station Grant SD00H249–08.