Iron deficiency and risk factors for lower iron stores in 6-24-month-old New Zealanders

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 58; no. 1; pp. 71 - 79
• Main Authors: Soh, P, Ferguson, E.L, McKenzie, J.E, Homs, M.Y.V, Gibson, R.S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing 2004; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - blood; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency - epidemiology; Anemias. Hemoglobinopathies; Babies; Biological and medical sciences; Birth weight; C-Reactive Protein - analysis; Cattle; Child, Preschool; Children; Clinical nutrition; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet Records; Diseases of red blood cells; Erythrocyte Indices; Ethnic Groups; Female; Ferritins - blood; Health Surveys; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hemoglobins - analysis; Humans; Infant; Infant Nutrition Disorders - epidemiology; Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Iron; Iron - administration & dosage; Iron - deficiency; Male; Medical sciences; Metabolic diseases; Metals (hemochromatosis...); New Zealand - epidemiology; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrition; Other metabolic disorders; Physiology; Prevalence; Risk Factors; Socioeconomics; Urban Population; New Zealand; Oceania; Prevalence; Questionnaire; Iron deficiency anemia; Ferritin; Sex; Hemopathy; Iron; Urban area; A-Cell; Enzymopathy; Inorganic element; Epidemiology; Blood; iron status; Protoporphyrin; children; Sideropenia; C reactive protein; Child; Food; Human; anaemia; Metabolic diseases; Serum protein; Zinc; Infection; New Zealand; Storage; Risk factor
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601751

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of biochemical iron deficiency and identify factors associated with ferritin levels among 6-24-month-old urban South Island New Zealand children. Design: Cross-sectional survey conducted from May 1998 to March 1999. Setting: The cities of Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill. Subjects: A total of 323 randomly selected 6-24-month-old children participated (response rate 61%) of which 263 provided a blood sample. Methods: A complete blood cell count, zinc protoporphyrin, serum ferritin and C-reactive protein were measured on nonfasting venipuncture blood samples, 3-day weighed food records and general questionnaire data were collected. Results: Among children with C-reactive protein<10 mg/l (n=231), 4.3% had iron deficiency anaemia, 5.6% had iron deficiency without anaemia, and 18.6% had depleted iron stores, when a ferritin cutoff of less than or equal to 12 g/l was used. Age (negative), sex (girls>boys), ethnicity (Caucasian>non-Caucasian), weight-for-age percentiles (negative) and birth weight (positive) were associated with ferritin after adjusting for infection and socioeconomic status. When current consumption of iron fortified formula and >500 ml of cows' milk per day were included, these were associated with a 22% increase and 25% decrease in ferritin, respectively (R2=0.28). Conclusions: The presence of suboptimal iron status (29%) among young New Zealand children is cause for concern, even though severe iron deficiency is rare, because children with marginal iron status are at risk of developing severe iron deficiency if exposed to a physiological challenge.