Table 1.
Characteristics of the study populations.
| Cuba (N = 1389) | Cambodia (N = 2471) | |
|---|---|---|
| n (%) or mean ± sd | n (%) or mean ± sd | |
| Age (years) | 8.14 ± 2.07 | 9.68 ± 2.27 |
| Sex (female) | 640 (47.0%) | 1236 (50.0%) |
| Height for age z-score | 0.06 ± 1.04 | −1.81 ± 1.05 |
| Stunted | 21 (1.6%) | 1056 (42.9%) |
| STH infection a | 114 (8.4%) | 302 (16.8%) |
| Ascaris lumbricoides | 70 (5.2%) | 5 (0.3%) |
| Light (<5.000 epg) | 55 (4.1%) | 5 (0.3%) |
| Moderate (5.000–50.000 epg) | 15 (1.1%) | 0 |
| Heavy (>50.000 epg) | 0 | 0 |
| Trichuris trichiura | 42 (3.1%) | 6 (0.3%) |
| Light (<1.000 epg) | 38 (2.8%) | 6 (0.3%) |
| Moderate (1.000–10.000 epg) | 2 (0.1%) | 0 |
| Heavy (>10.000 epg) | 2 (0.1%) | 0 |
| Hookworm | 15 (1.1%) | 293 (16.3%) |
| Light (<2.000 epg) | 13 (1.0%) | 283 (15.8%) |
| Moderate (2.000–4.000 epg) | 0 | 9 (0.5%) |
| Heavy (>4.000 epg) | 2 (0.1%) | 1 (0.1%) |
| Hair zinc (μg g−1) | 113 (91–137) b | n.a. |
| Zinc deficiency c | 28 (12.2%) | n.a. |
| Plasma zinc d (μmol L−1) | n.a. | 7.65 ± 1.69 |
| Zinc deficiency e | n.a. | 1884 (92.8%) |
| Inflammation | ||
| No inflammation | n.a. | 1450 (60.5%) |
| Only CRP elevated | n.a. | 8 (0.3%) |
| Only AGP elevated | n.a. | 816 (34.1%) |
| CRP & AGP elevated | n.a. | 122 (5.1%) |
a: N= 1353 (Cuba) or N = 1795 (Cambodia); b: median (IQR), N =230; c: hair zinc < 70 μg g−1; d: N =2112; e: age 4–9: plasma zinc < 9.9 μmol L−1; girls age 10 and up: plasma zinc < 10.1 μmol L−1 boys age 10 and up: plasma zinc < 10.7 μmol L−1, N = 2030; STH: soil-transmitted helminth; epg: eggs per gram feces; n.a.: not applicable