ArticlePLOS global public health2025
Prevalence and factors associated with zinc deficiency among preschool-age children in rural districts of Sidama region, Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study.
Article in PLOS global public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- An effective fluoroquinolone-based fluorescent probe for ultrasensitive ZnRSC advances · 2026Article
- The Role of Vitamin D and Selected Nutrients in the Development of Myopia in Children and Young Adults: A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Dysregulation of Trace Elements in Pediatric Cholestasis: From Pathophysiology to Nutritional Approaches.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Interplay of Gastrointestinal Parasites, Micronutrient Deficiencies, and Anemia in Children from the Bolivian Highlands.Microorganisms · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Zinc deficiency among preschool-age children is a significant global public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, with severe consequences for growth and development. However, research on zinc deficiency among preschoolers in Ethiopia, including the Sidama region, remains limited. To address this gap, we assessed the prevalence and factors associated with zinc deficiency among preschool-age children in rural Sidama. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 17 to October 3, 2024, involving 364 children aged 24-59 months. Study participants were selected via systematic random sampling. Serum zinc concentration was analyzed at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute's nutrition laboratory, and anthropometric indices were computed using WHO Anthro 2007 Software. We collected the data using KoboCollect. Modified Poisson regression was employed to identify factors associated with zinc deficiency using Stata 17. Among the preschool-age children surveyed, 203 (55.77%) were male, with a mean age of 43.99 months (standard deviation [SD] = 12.14). The overall prevalence of zinc deficiency was 53.57% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 48.41%-58.66%). Preschool-age children in households with five or more members had a 53% higher prevalence of zinc deficiency compared to those in smaller households (Adjusted Prevalence Ratio (APR) = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.24-1.90). The prevalence was 22% higher in children with unmet dietary diversity (APR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01-1.46) and 26% higher in anemic children (APR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.04-1.51). The high prevalence of zinc deficiency among preschool-age children in rural Sidama highlights a critical public health concern. Contributing factors include larger family size, unmet dietary diversity, and anemia. Addressing this issue requires a multifaceted approach. Interventions should focus on promoting zinc-rich foods through education and diet diversification, raising awareness about birth spacing to mitigate the impact of large family size, and implementing measures to prevent and manage anemia.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.