Table 5.
Values of micronutrients (mean ± SD) and deficiency proportion (%) characterized by sex in children aged 5–12 years.
| Micronutrients | Mean ± SD (range) | Deficiency (%) | P | Sexes Combined, N = 2456 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys, N = 1294 | Girls, N = 1162 | Boys, N (%) | Girls, N (%) | Deficiency, N (%) | ||
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 49.11 ± 42.34 (46.80–51.42) | 40.21 ± 22.73 (38.90–41.51) | 176 (7.2%) | 153 (6.2%) | 0.747 | 329 (13.4%) |
| Zn (mg/L) | 0.84 ± 0.19 (0.83–0.86) | 0.84 ± 0.19 (0.83–0.85) | 274 (11.2%) | 210 (8.5%) | 0.052 | 484 (19.7%) |
| Calcium (mg/dL) | 10.50 ± 1.05 (10.45–10.57) | 10.59 ± 6.53 (10.22–10.97) | 60 (2.4%) | 42 (1.7%) | 0.000∗∗ | 102 (4.2%) |
| Vit A (µmol/L) | 1.11 ± 0.25 (1.09–1.12) | 1.13 ± 0.24 (1.12–1.15) | 45 (1.8%) | 28 (1.1%) | 0.015∗ | 73 (3.0%) |
| Vit D (ng/mL) | 48.16 ± 19.37 (47.10–49.22) | 43.62 ± 16.90 (42.64–44.59) | 107 (4.4%) | 204 (8.3%) | 0.000∗∗ | 311 (12.7%) |
∗ The P value indicated a significant prevalence deficiency of <0.05. ∗∗The P value indicated a significant prevalence deficiency of <0.01.