Risk factors of low dietary vitamin A intake among children in the Sudan.

We examined the determinants of dietary vitamin A intake among Sudanese children, information which is important for designing effective interventions based on the dietary approach. Children under the age of two years were at greater risk of consuming a diet low in vitamin A compared with children who were five years or older. Compared with children from relatively affluent households, those from poorer households were about twice as likely to consume low levels of carotenoid or preformed vitamin A. Low vitamin A intake was also significantly associated with lack of running water, a latrine, radio, or television in the household, and inversely associated with maternal or paternal illiteracy and with cleanliness of the child subjectively assessed by the interviewer. As expected, breastfed children in the first two years of life were likely to consume lower levels of preformed vitamin A and carotenoid from food (excluding breast milk) compared with non-breastfed children. Low vitamin A intake was more prevalent in the dry months of the year. Efforts to increase accessibility to vitamin A containing food, combined with nutrition education campaigns and public health programmes directed at improving sanitation and reducing infection are necessary as part of the long-term solution to the problem of vitamin A deficiency.