Evaluating the micronutrient status of women of child-bearing age living in the rural disaster areas one year after Wenchuan Earthquake.

Populations with special physiological state, such as pregnant, nursing and women of child-bearing age, have been identified as nutritionally vulnerable during natural disaster. The objective of this survey was to evaluate the prevalence of anaemia and micronutrient status of women of reproductive age in April 2009 one year after the Wenchuan Earthquake. The survey recruited 58 pregnant, 66 lactating and 242 women of child-bearing age from 19 to 45 years. The concentrations of haemoglobin in whole blood and ferritin and micronutrients in serum were assayed. Among the three groups (pregnant, nursing and child-bearing women), respectively, the prevalence of anaemia was 29.1%, 25.5% and 28.8%; that of iron deficiency was 45.4%, 49.0% and 52.9%; and that of zinc deficiency was 45.4%, 23.0% and 33.5%. The sum of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was more than 90% in each group, and the total vitamin B12 deficiency and marginal deficiency prevalence percentages were 47.3%, 17.7% and 35.7%, respectively. The prevalence of vitamin A deficiency and marginal deficiency was 1.8% and 9.1% in pregnant women, 6.1% and 15.2% in nursing women and 8.6% and 21.3% in women of child-bearing age, respectively. Our findings indicated that the micronutrient status of women of reproductive age was poor in the disaster areas. Therefore, improving the micronutrient status of these women should be an urgent priority in these areas.