Globally , 56% of preschool children (372 million) and 69% of non-pregnant women of reproductive age (1.2 billion) are deficient in at least one of three important micronutrients: iron, zinc, and vitamin A. Micronutrient deficiency is known as “hidden hunger” and has serious consequences for children’s development throughout adulthood.
According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness and xerophthalmia in about 250,000 to 500,000 children each year, and increases the risk of death from infections when suffering from measles or diarrhea. In Vietnam, according to the results of a national survey, the rate of preclinical vitamin A deficiency in children aged 6 to 59 months is 8.9% and 16.7% of mothers have low vitamin A levels in breast milk. Micronutrient deficiencies, especially zinc deficiency, are still very severe, with low serum zinc levels in women of childbearing age at 44.3%, pregnant women at 63.0%, and children aged 6 to 59 months at 53.3%.
Nutritional anemia is also a significant public health problem, highest in pregnant women at 25.4%; in children aged 6 to 59 months at 18.1% and in women of childbearing age at 16.2%. Micronutrient deficiency in pregnant women and women of childbearing age increases the risk of pregnancy complications, low birth weight and affects the health of future generations. Notably, our country currently has a "double burden" of nutrition including malnutrition, overweight and obesity and micronutrient deficiency.
According to 2024 monitoring data of the Institute of Nutrition ( Ministry of Health ), although the rate of stunting in children under 5 years old is 18.1% (the average level of public health significance according to the classification of the World Health Organization), the rate of stunting is still different between regions, in which it is still very high in the midlands and mountainous areas of the North (23.8%) and the Central Highlands (27.3%); the rate of underweight malnutrition in children under 5 years old is 10.4%.
According to Dr. Nguyen Hong Truong, Deputy Director of the Institute of Nutrition, the underlying cause of micronutrient deficiency is an unbalanced diet; lack of food diversity; lack of knowledge and proper nutrition practices. For many years, the Institute of Nutrition has coordinated with localities nationwide to implement the free vitamin A supplementation campaign on Micronutrient Day (June 1 and 2), contributing to the elimination of blindness due to vitamin A deficiency and significantly improving the nutritional status of children.
Dr. Nguyen Hong Truong affirmed that vitamin A supplementation is essential for the health and comprehensive development of children, especially children from 6 months to under 60 months old who are at high risk of vitamin A deficiency. In the context of increasing infectious diseases, the subjects receiving free vitamin A supplementation under the program have been expanded to include people with measles (including children and adults), severe malnutrition, acute respiratory infections, and prolonged diarrhea according to the Ministry of Health's protocol. In addition, micronutrient deficiencies do not exist in isolation, so in addition to vitamin A, we need to pay attention to iron deficiency and zinc deficiency, which are important public health issues in Vietnam.
Micronutrient supplementation programs in national target programs are considered an effective solution to prevent micronutrient deficiencies, especially in disadvantaged areas. In 3 years (from 2023 to 2025), 245,653 children under 5 years old, 489,199 children aged 5 to 16 years old and 169,631 pregnant women will be provided with free multi-micronutrients under the National Target Program for Sustainable Poverty Reduction.
Effective and sustainable prevention of micronutrient deficiency requires comprehensive solutions: From high-dose supplementation for high-risk groups, to fortifying essential foods such as salt, cooking oil, and wheat flour, to changing consumer behavior and diversifying daily meals. In particular, nutrition education and communication plays a key role, as a bridge to bring scientific knowledge to the community. This year's Micronutrient Day continues to be organized with the goal of raising awareness and changing behavior in preventing micronutrient deficiency... It is expected that more than 6 million children from 6 months to under 60 months of age will be supplemented with high doses of vitamin A.
MAI NGUYEN
Source: https://nhandan.vn/bo-sung-vi-chat-dinh-duong-nang-cao-suc-khoe-cong-dong-post883791.html
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