Nutritional status and nutrient intake of preschool children in northern Ghana.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the nutritional status and nutrient intake of preschool children in a sub-Sahelian setting so as to ascertain whether they meet the acceptable standards.

DESIGN: Prospective/investigative study.

SETTING: The study was carried out in Saboba, a rural sub-Sahelian village in northern Ghana.

SUBJECTS: Five hundred and eighteen preschool children (2.5-6 years) drawn from three kindergartens and five other localities were used.

INTERVENTION: Anthropometric measures of age, weight, and height were assessed. Blood and stool samples were taken for analyses.

RESULTS: The nutritional status was generally poor, with 27% (140/519) stunted, 4.4% (23/519) wasted and 1.9% (10/519) wasted and stunted. Majority of the children (92%) were anaemic and 16.3% had deficient level of vitamin A (< 10 micrograms/dL). Total caloric intake was low (only 26.5% met RDA values) and apart from protein and iron whose RDA were met by the majority of the children (> 90%), the intake of other nutrients-calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A and provitamin A, were low and unacceptable, compared to their respective RDA values. In the case of iron, even though intake was adequate, the high anaemic rate of 92% was due to high incidence of malaria (32%), hookworm infestation, low intake of vitamin C and low bioavailability of iron from the mainly cereal diet.

CONCLUSION: The poor nutritional status of the children was largely due to the low intake of essential nutrients.