Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana

Doris Hadzi; Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu; Hayford Mawuli Avedzi; Prince Kubi Appiah; Elvis E. Tarkang

doi:doi:10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17

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Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana

Doris Hadzi, Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu, Hayford Mawuli Avedzi, Prince Kubi Appiah, Elvis E. Tarkang

Published in Central African Journal of Public Health (Volume 2, Issue 2)

Received: 13 September 2016 Accepted: 20 October 2016 Published: 9 December 2016

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Abstract

Introduction: Vitamin A is essential for immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular communication. Insufficient amounts of vitamin A decreases children’s ability to resist diseases and increases risks for childhood deaths, hospital stay, and missed school days. Two annual doses of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children 6-59 months, with a coverage threshold of 70% as recommended by UNICEF in settings with high deficiency. Methodology: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed nutrition knowledge of vitamin A among caregivers with children 6-59 months and coverage of VAS in the South Dayi District, Volta Region, Ghana, using structured questionnaires. Child health records were reviewed to determine immunization and vitamin A supplementation status of the children. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS (version 20.0) at 95% confidence intervals. Result: A total of 418 caregiver-child pairs participated in this study and health records of all children (49% female, ages 6-59 months) were examined for VAS coverage. Overall, VAS coverage in the 12 months preceding the study was 64.3%. Among caregivers with mean age ± SD (30.4 ± 7.4 years), 65% had inadequate nutrition knowledge of vitamin A food sources and 62% did not know deficiency symptoms or diseases linked to vitamin A. Caregiver knowledge (OR: 1.7) age of child (OR: 1.2) and being a female child (OR: 2.3) were significantly associated with receipt of vitamin A supplementation among children (p<0.05). Conclusion: Vitamin A supplementation coverage was below the WHO recommended threshold and caregiver knowledge was inadequate in the South Dayi District. Caregiver-centered approaches are needed for improving vitamin A nutrition and supplementation among children in the district.

Published in	Central African Journal of Public Health (Volume 2, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17
Page(s)	89-98
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2016. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Vitamin A Supplementation Coverage, Correlates, Children, South Dayi District, Ghana

References

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APA Style

Doris Hadzi, Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu, Hayford Mawuli Avedzi, Prince Kubi Appiah, Elvis E. Tarkang. (2016). Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana. Central African Journal of Public Health, 2(2), 89-98. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17

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ACS Style

Doris Hadzi; Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu; Hayford Mawuli Avedzi; Prince Kubi Appiah; Elvis E. Tarkang. Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana. Cent. Afr. J. Public Health 2016, 2(2), 89-98. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17

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AMA Style

Doris Hadzi, Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu, Hayford Mawuli Avedzi, Prince Kubi Appiah, Elvis E. Tarkang. Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2016;2(2):89-98. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17

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@article{10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17,
  author = {Doris Hadzi and Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu and Hayford Mawuli Avedzi and Prince Kubi Appiah and Elvis E. Tarkang},
  title = {Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana},
  journal = {Central African Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {89-98},
  doi = {10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cajph.20160202.17},
  abstract = {Introduction: Vitamin A is essential for immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular communication. Insufficient amounts of vitamin A decreases children’s ability to resist diseases and increases risks for childhood deaths, hospital stay, and missed school days. Two annual doses of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children 6-59 months, with a coverage threshold of 70% as recommended by UNICEF in settings with high deficiency. Methodology: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed nutrition knowledge of vitamin A among caregivers with children 6-59 months and coverage of VAS in the South Dayi District, Volta Region, Ghana, using structured questionnaires. Child health records were reviewed to determine immunization and vitamin A supplementation status of the children. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS (version 20.0) at 95% confidence intervals. Result: A total of 418 caregiver-child pairs participated in this study and health records of all children (49% female, ages 6-59 months) were examined for VAS coverage. Overall, VAS coverage in the 12 months preceding the study was 64.3%. Among caregivers with mean age ± SD (30.4 ± 7.4 years), 65% had inadequate nutrition knowledge of vitamin A food sources and 62% did not know deficiency symptoms or diseases linked to vitamin A. Caregiver knowledge (OR: 1.7) age of child (OR: 1.2) and being a female child (OR: 2.3) were significantly associated with receipt of vitamin A supplementation among children (pConclusion: Vitamin A supplementation coverage was below the WHO recommended threshold and caregiver knowledge was inadequate in the South Dayi District. Caregiver-centered approaches are needed for improving vitamin A nutrition and supplementation among children in the district.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana
AU  - Doris Hadzi
AU  - Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu
AU  - Hayford Mawuli Avedzi
AU  - Prince Kubi Appiah
AU  - Elvis E. Tarkang
Y1  - 2016/12/09
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17
T2  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JF  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JO  - Central African Journal of Public Health
SP  - 89
EP  - 98
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-5781
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17
AB  - Introduction: Vitamin A is essential for immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular communication. Insufficient amounts of vitamin A decreases children’s ability to resist diseases and increases risks for childhood deaths, hospital stay, and missed school days. Two annual doses of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children 6-59 months, with a coverage threshold of 70% as recommended by UNICEF in settings with high deficiency. Methodology: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed nutrition knowledge of vitamin A among caregivers with children 6-59 months and coverage of VAS in the South Dayi District, Volta Region, Ghana, using structured questionnaires. Child health records were reviewed to determine immunization and vitamin A supplementation status of the children. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS (version 20.0) at 95% confidence intervals. Result: A total of 418 caregiver-child pairs participated in this study and health records of all children (49% female, ages 6-59 months) were examined for VAS coverage. Overall, VAS coverage in the 12 months preceding the study was 64.3%. Among caregivers with mean age ± SD (30.4 ± 7.4 years), 65% had inadequate nutrition knowledge of vitamin A food sources and 62% did not know deficiency symptoms or diseases linked to vitamin A. Caregiver knowledge (OR: 1.7) age of child (OR: 1.2) and being a female child (OR: 2.3) were significantly associated with receipt of vitamin A supplementation among children (pConclusion: Vitamin A supplementation coverage was below the WHO recommended threshold and caregiver knowledge was inadequate in the South Dayi District. Caregiver-centered approaches are needed for improving vitamin A nutrition and supplementation among children in the district.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Doris Hadzi

School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana
Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu

School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana
Hayford Mawuli Avedzi

School of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada
Prince Kubi Appiah

School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana
Elvis E. Tarkang

School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Ghana

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APA Style

Doris Hadzi, Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu, Hayford Mawuli Avedzi, Prince Kubi Appiah, Elvis E. Tarkang. (2016). Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana. Central African Journal of Public Health, 2(2), 89-98. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17

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ACS Style

Doris Hadzi; Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu; Hayford Mawuli Avedzi; Prince Kubi Appiah; Elvis E. Tarkang. Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana. Cent. Afr. J. Public Health 2016, 2(2), 89-98. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17

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AMA Style

Doris Hadzi, Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu, Hayford Mawuli Avedzi, Prince Kubi Appiah, Elvis E. Tarkang. Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2016;2(2):89-98. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17

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@article{10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17,
  author = {Doris Hadzi and Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu and Hayford Mawuli Avedzi and Prince Kubi Appiah and Elvis E. Tarkang},
  title = {Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana},
  journal = {Central African Journal of Public Health},
  volume = {2},
  number = {2},
  pages = {89-98},
  doi = {10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cajph.20160202.17},
  abstract = {Introduction: Vitamin A is essential for immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular communication. Insufficient amounts of vitamin A decreases children’s ability to resist diseases and increases risks for childhood deaths, hospital stay, and missed school days. Two annual doses of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children 6-59 months, with a coverage threshold of 70% as recommended by UNICEF in settings with high deficiency. Methodology: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed nutrition knowledge of vitamin A among caregivers with children 6-59 months and coverage of VAS in the South Dayi District, Volta Region, Ghana, using structured questionnaires. Child health records were reviewed to determine immunization and vitamin A supplementation status of the children. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS (version 20.0) at 95% confidence intervals. Result: A total of 418 caregiver-child pairs participated in this study and health records of all children (49% female, ages 6-59 months) were examined for VAS coverage. Overall, VAS coverage in the 12 months preceding the study was 64.3%. Among caregivers with mean age ± SD (30.4 ± 7.4 years), 65% had inadequate nutrition knowledge of vitamin A food sources and 62% did not know deficiency symptoms or diseases linked to vitamin A. Caregiver knowledge (OR: 1.7) age of child (OR: 1.2) and being a female child (OR: 2.3) were significantly associated with receipt of vitamin A supplementation among children (pConclusion: Vitamin A supplementation coverage was below the WHO recommended threshold and caregiver knowledge was inadequate in the South Dayi District. Caregiver-centered approaches are needed for improving vitamin A nutrition and supplementation among children in the district.},
 year = {2016}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Vitamin a Supplementation Coverage and Correlates of Uptake Among Children 6-59 Months in the South Dayi District, Ghana
AU  - Doris Hadzi
AU  - Geoffrey Adebayo Asalu
AU  - Hayford Mawuli Avedzi
AU  - Prince Kubi Appiah
AU  - Elvis E. Tarkang
Y1  - 2016/12/09
PY  - 2016
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17
T2  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JF  - Central African Journal of Public Health
JO  - Central African Journal of Public Health
SP  - 89
EP  - 98
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-5781
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20160202.17
AB  - Introduction: Vitamin A is essential for immune function, vision, reproduction, and cellular communication. Insufficient amounts of vitamin A decreases children’s ability to resist diseases and increases risks for childhood deaths, hospital stay, and missed school days. Two annual doses of vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children 6-59 months, with a coverage threshold of 70% as recommended by UNICEF in settings with high deficiency. Methodology: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed nutrition knowledge of vitamin A among caregivers with children 6-59 months and coverage of VAS in the South Dayi District, Volta Region, Ghana, using structured questionnaires. Child health records were reviewed to determine immunization and vitamin A supplementation status of the children. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS (version 20.0) at 95% confidence intervals. Result: A total of 418 caregiver-child pairs participated in this study and health records of all children (49% female, ages 6-59 months) were examined for VAS coverage. Overall, VAS coverage in the 12 months preceding the study was 64.3%. Among caregivers with mean age ± SD (30.4 ± 7.4 years), 65% had inadequate nutrition knowledge of vitamin A food sources and 62% did not know deficiency symptoms or diseases linked to vitamin A. Caregiver knowledge (OR: 1.7) age of child (OR: 1.2) and being a female child (OR: 2.3) were significantly associated with receipt of vitamin A supplementation among children (pConclusion: Vitamin A supplementation coverage was below the WHO recommended threshold and caregiver knowledge was inadequate in the South Dayi District. Caregiver-centered approaches are needed for improving vitamin A nutrition and supplementation among children in the district.
VL  - 2
IS  - 2
ER  -

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