A Cross-Sectional Survey of Vitamin A Deficiency and the Associated Risk Factors among the Children of District Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a very common problem in developing countries and in extreme situations, it is responsible for vision impairment as well as death. To conduct a comprehensive cross-sectional evaluation of the deficiency of vitamin A and the associated risk factors responsible for its deficiency, a questionnaire based survey was conducted in District Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. In order to evaluate the data related to VAD and its relationship with different variables, a cross-sectional survey was conducted of 400 female students from three different schools in District Gujrat. The schools were situated in both rural and urban areas. A questionnaire eliciting personal information, family status and diet related information was used to collect the required data for the survey. The results did not pertain with the participants’ gender. The results were based on the summer season routine of diet and physical activity. All information was sorted and the results were analyzed using the Microsoft Excel 2010 update and SPSS version 20. It was found that 39% girls (156 out of 400) were deficient in vitamin A. The main source of VAD was found to be inadequate dietary consumption. It was also found that children with poor socioeconomic standing, low fluid consumption, and from urban areas have more VAD than others. Moreover, the age group of 8-11 years carried a higher percentage of VAD, while physical activity had no impact on VAD. A large number of girls were reported as the victims of VAD due to poverty and related socioeconomic constraints prevailing among the school going children in District Gujrat. A crucial approach towards reducing VAD is to learn about the preventive measures to control VAD. In low-income countries, the use of vitamin A supplements with daily diet is required to reduce the impact of VAD.