Résumé:
Vitamin A is essential for immune responses, iron transport, vision and several physiological functions. In young children, blindness and resistance to infectious diseases are among other serious consequences of vitamin A deficiency Evaluating the serum retinol level, vitamin A, zinc and iron intake of a sample of children preschool was our main objective. The characteristics of the deficient children have also been research. A descriptive cross-sectional survey focused on 271 preschooler children in the most disadvantaged district of Constantine commune El Gammas. The respective dosages of serum retinol and hemoglobin were performed in 140 children. The results obtained show that in our population the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency is 15.7%. Overall within the sample, the diet is low in meats, fruits and vegetables. Daily vitamin A intake does not reach the recommendations for 84, 14% of all. However, they are essentially of animal origin. Apart from the milk and eggs that are the main sources of retinol, margarine is distinguished relatively large share of total vitamin A intake. The deficient diet is characterized by a lower composition of foods rich in vitamin A, fruits and a lower diversity of vegetables. They consume more commercialized fruit juices and less fruits. Anemia affects 23, 4% of the sample. It is more frequent among the deficient. The iron and zinc intakes are below the standards for the majority. University mothers and heads of household small traders are more numerous in the non deficient group. The high cost of meats, fruits and vegetables, which are rich in vitamin A, partly explains the deficit diet of these children saw the poor socio-economic status of their families. The low level of education of a large proportion of mothers most likely had an impact on the good care of these children since a correlation was found between vitamin A intakes and the mothers' level of education (p = 0.03, r = 0.12). To prevent serious micronutrient deficiencies, anti-poverty measures need to be implemented in our country. They need to be coupled with a nutrition education of mothers in maternal and child health services to avoid multiple child malnutrition in the poorest areas.
