Department of Community Health and Nutrition, Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre, Dar es salaam, Tanzania.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es salaam, Tanzania.
PLoS One. 2024 Nov 18;19(11):e0309620. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309620. eCollection 2024.
Micronutrient deficiencies, a global concern affecting vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, pose significant public health challenges. Specifically, micronutrient deficiencies in iron, vitamin A, iodine and folate have been of greatest public health concern among pregnant women. This study aimed to evaluate the co-occurrence of selected multiple micronutrient deficiencies among pregnant women attending Antenatal Care (ANC) in Mbeya, Tanzania. Employing a cross-sectional design, data were gathered from 420 pregnant women aged 15-49 years attending ANC in Mbeya Region. Semi-structured questionnaires captured socio-demographic data, and blood samples were collected for biomarkers assessment. The study used Stata 17.0 to analyze the data. Results revealed that six out of ten pregnant women exhibited at least one form of micronutrient deficiency, with 15.0% experiencing double deficiencies and 2.2% experiencing triple deficiencies. Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) was prevalent among 61.7% of anaemic pregnant women. Individual micronutrient deficiency rates were as follows: folate (21.7%), vitamin B12 (9.9%), iron (38.4%), vitamin A (9.8%), with a median Urinary Iodine Concentration (UIC) of 279.4μg/L. Pregnant women with anemia were more likely to have Multiple Micronutrient Deficiencies (MMD) compared to non-anemic counterparts (p-value <0.005). Additionally, those in the second trimester were at a higher risk of MMD than those in the first trimester (p-value <0.005). A higher wealth quantile appeared to protect against MMD (p-value <0.005). The study highlights the co-occurrence of MMD among pregnant women in Tanzania, indicates the necessity for an improved strategy to enhance multiple micronutrients intake through dietary diversity, MMS and fortified foods.
微量营养素缺乏是一个全球性问题，影响到包括孕妇在内的弱势群体，对公共健康构成重大挑战。具体而言，孕妇缺铁、维生素 A、碘和叶酸等微量营养素缺乏是公共卫生最关注的问题。本研究旨在评估坦桑尼亚姆贝亚省产前保健 (ANC) 孕妇中选定多种微量营养素缺乏症的并发情况。本研究采用横断面设计，从姆贝亚地区 15-49 岁参加 ANC 的 420 名孕妇中收集数据。半结构式问卷收集社会人口统计学数据，并采集血样进行生物标志物评估。研究使用 Stata 17.0 分析数据。结果显示，十分之六的孕妇至少存在一种形式的微量营养素缺乏，15.0%的孕妇同时存在两种缺乏，2.2%的孕妇同时存在三种缺乏。贫血孕妇中缺铁性贫血（IDA）的患病率为 61.7%。个体微量营养素缺乏率如下：叶酸（21.7%）、维生素 B12（9.9%）、铁（38.4%）、维生素 A（9.8%），尿碘浓度中位数为 279.4μg/L。与非贫血孕妇相比，贫血孕妇更有可能同时存在多种微量营养素缺乏症（p 值 <0.005）。此外，与第一孕期相比，第二孕期孕妇发生多种微量营养素缺乏症的风险更高（p 值 <0.005）。较高的财富分位数似乎能预防多种微量营养素缺乏症（p 值 <0.005）。该研究强调了坦桑尼亚孕妇中多种微量营养素缺乏症的并发情况，表明需要制定一项改进战略，通过饮食多样性、多种微量营养素补充剂和强化食品来提高多种微量营养素的摄入。
