Skip to main content
American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1995 Sep;85(9):1246–1251. doi: 10.2105/ajph.85.9.1246

Child morbidity and mortality following vitamin A supplementation in Ghana: time since dosing, number of doses, and time of year.

D A Ross 1, B R Kirkwood 1, F N Binka 1, P Arthur 1, N Dollimore 1, S S Morris 1, R P Shier 1, J O Gyapong 1, P G Smith 1
PMCID: PMC1615567  PMID: 7661232

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The impact of large-dose vitamin A supplementation given at intervals of 4 months on child mortality and morbidity was examined according to the time interval since dosing, number of doses received previously, and time of year. METHODS: Two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials of large doses of vitamin A administered at intervals of 4 months were conducted in adjacent populations in northern Ghana. RESULTS: While vitamin A supplementation significantly reduced the overall incidence of severe illnesses (especially diarrhea with dehydration), clinic attendances, hospital admissions, and mortality, there was no evidence that the impact of each dose of vitamin A was related to the number of doses the child had received previously. There was no evidence that the effectiveness of the supplement waned over the 3 to 5 months between doses. The impact on mortality did not differ significantly by the month in which the supplement had been given. CONCLUSIONS: In the study population, there was no evidence that an interval between doses of less than 4 months would have had a greater impact on severe morbidity or mortality, and the effectiveness of supplementation did not vary by time of year.

Full text

PDF
1250

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arthur P., Kirkwood B., Ross D., Morris S., Gyapong J., Tomkins A., Addy H. Impact of vitamin A supplementation on childhood morbidity in northern Ghana. Lancet. 1992 Feb 8;339(8789):361–362. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)91677-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barreto M. L., Santos L. M., Assis A. M., Araújo M. P., Farenzena G. G., Santos P. A., Fiaccone R. L. Effect of vitamin A supplementation on diarrhoea and acute lower-respiratory-tract infections in young children in Brazil. Lancet. 1994 Jul 23;344(8917):228–231. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(94)92998-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Daulaire N. M., Starbuck E. S., Houston R. M., Church M. S., Stukel T. A., Pandey M. R. Childhood mortality after a high dose of vitamin A in a high risk population. BMJ. 1992 Jan 25;304(6821):207–210. doi: 10.1136/bmj.304.6821.207. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Muhilal, Permeisih D., Idjradinata Y. R., Muherdiyantiningsih, Karyadi D. Vitamin A-fortified monosodium glutamate and health, growth, and survival of children: a controlled field trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 1988 Nov;48(5):1271–1276. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/48.5.1271. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Rahmathullah L., Underwood B. A., Thulasiraj R. D., Milton R. C., Ramaswamy K., Rahmathullah R., Babu G. Reduced mortality among children in southern India receiving a small weekly dose of vitamin A. N Engl J Med. 1990 Oct 4;323(14):929–935. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199010043231401. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Sommer A., Tarwotjo I., Djunaedi E., West K. P., Jr, Loeden A. A., Tilden R., Mele L. Impact of vitamin A supplementation on childhood mortality. A randomised controlled community trial. Lancet. 1986 May 24;1(8491):1169–1173. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)91157-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Vitamin A supplementation in northern Ghana: effects on clinic attendances, hospital admissions, and child mortality. Ghana VAST Study Team. Lancet. 1993 Jul 3;342(8862):7–12. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. West K. P., Jr, Pokhrel R. P., Katz J., LeClerq S. C., Khatry S. K., Shrestha S. R., Pradhan E. K., Tielsch J. M., Pandey M. R., Sommer A. Efficacy of vitamin A in reducing preschool child mortality in Nepal. Lancet. 1991 Jul 13;338(8759):67–71. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)90070-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from American Journal of Public Health are provided here courtesy of American Public Health Association

RESOURCES