Prevalence of hypovitaminosis A in preschool children in a town of the Metropolitan Area of S. Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Three-hundred and sixty-two preschool children between the ages of three and six years were examined for plasma levels of vitamin A and carotene. All were residents of the urban area of the city of Cotia, thirty-four km from S. Paulo, Brazil. A representative sample was taken for the purpose. The Carr-Price laboratory method was used as were the Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defense (ICNND) criteria for classifying results. Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency at biochemical level was 30.2%.