Child morbidity and mortality following vitamin A supplementation in Ghana

Time since dosing, number of doses, and time of year

Bibliographic Data

ID11038191
AuthorsDavid A Ro (0000-0001-7426-9561, University of London), D A Ross, Burton Kirkwood (0000-0001-5274-6072), B R Kirkwood, F N Binka, Fred Binka (0000-0002-5693-8829), Peter Arthur (0000-0003-0777-7798), Nicola Dollimore, Saul S Morris (0000-0002-9372-7342), R P Shier, Rosie Shier, John Owusu Gyapong (0000-0002-8415-1468), Peter G SMITH (0000-0003-0080-7560)
Year1995
Volume85
Issue9
Pages1246-1251
Publication date1995-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.85.9.1246
PMID7661232
OpenAlexW2087081337
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited11

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

Confidence interval · Diarrhea · Dosing · Environmental health · Incidence (geometry) · Placebo · Population · Randomized controlled trial · Vitamin · Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Retinoids in leukemia and cellular processes · Vitamin C and Antioxidants Research · Pediatrics

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