Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40248030›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2025

Subclinical vitamin A deficiency and associated factors among pregnant women in eastern Ethiopia.

Kedir Teji Roba, Gemechu Asefa, Meseret Belete Fite, Abdu Oumer, Dureti Abdurahman, Aboma Motuma, Abebayehu N Yilma, Gretchen Thompson, Alexandra Brewis, Asher Y Rosinger

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Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Kedir Teji RobaCollege of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
Gemechu AsefaCollege of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
Meseret Belete FiteDepartment of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Wollega University, Nekemte, Ethiopia.
Abdu OumerCollege of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
Dureti AbdurahmanCollege of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
Aboma MotumaCollege of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.
Abebayehu N YilmaDepartment of Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA, United States.
Gretchen ThompsonDepartment of Behavioral, Epidemiological and Clinical Sciences, FHI 360, Durham, NC, United States.
Alexandra BrewisSchool of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.
Asher Y RosingerDepartment of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Vitamin A is essential for maternal and child health and plays a key role in reducing maternal and child mortality rates. A need exists for more evidence on the prevalence and associated factors of Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) among pregnant women in rural, underserved areas, such as eastern Ethiopia, where many risk factors for VAD may be concentrated. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 397 randomly selected pregnant women at the Haramaya University Demographic Health Surveillance sites. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, anthropometric measurements, blood serum samples, and other relevant household and individual-level information. Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) was defined as serum retinol levels <0.7 μmol/L, while marginal deficiency was defined as 0.70-1.05 μmol/L. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with VAD. Results: Approximately 48.1% (43.1-53.1%) of pregnant women in eastern Ethiopia had subclinical vitamin A deficiency (VAD), with a mean serum retinol concentration of 0.82 (±0.02) μmol/L. Only 122 (30.7%) and 159 (40.1%) of the participants reported having adequately diversified diets and adequate food variety scores, respectively. The use of khat (a stimulant) (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.08-2.57) and a lack of awareness regarding vitamin A-rich foods (AOR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.04-2.68) were found to be positively associated with VAD. Khat chewing was responsible for approximately 40.1% of VAD cases. Additionally, greater educational attainment of the husband (AOR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.25-0.90) was significantly protective against subclinical VAD. Conclusion: Almost half of the pregnant women in this eastern Ethiopian sample were found to have subclinical VAD, highlighting the need for nutritional education during antenatal care and community nutrition awareness campaigns by various stakeholders. Context-specific, targeted behavioral change communications are essential to improve dietary practices and healthcare utilization.

Indexed as

Ethiopiakhatpregnancyserum retinolvitamin Avitamin A deficiency

Identifiers

PMID40248030
PMCPMC12003121

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