GHANA MICRONUTRIENT SURVEY_final.indd

Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa (Head of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science), for their prompt responses in matters of administration concerning the survey within the University of Ghana; • The Biomedical Technologists at the laboratories of the following hospitals and institutions for providing assistance with the cold storage of our blood samples: Mr. [...] Objectives The objective of this survey was to obtain updated and reliable information on the nutrition and micronutrient status of children 6-59 months of age, non-pregnant women 15-49 years of age, and pregnant women in Ghana, to formulate evidence- based recommendations improving the nutritional status of vulnerable groups. [...] Key nutrition indicators assessed included prevalence of anemia and malaria parasitemia in pre-school children, non-pregnant women, and pregnant women; defi ciencies of iron and vitamin A in pre-school children and non-pregnant women; defi ciencies of folate and vitamin B12 in non-pregnant women; prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in pre-school children and non-pregnant women; childhood wasting and. [...] To assess the prevalence and severity of iron defi ciency in children 6-59 months of age and non-pregnant women of child-bearing age by measuring serum ferritin concentration (adjusted for the presence of infl ammation) and by measuring serum transferrin receptor (TfR) and to calculate what proportion of anemia is associated with iron defi ciency. [...] The number of households selected to obtain the required number of women and children depended on the region because household size is quite different in different regions: 29 households in the Southern and Middle strata, 20 households in the Upper West and Upper East regions of the Northern stratum, and 15 households in the Northern region of the Northern stratum.