Bloem M W, Huq N, Gorstein J, Burger S, Kahn T, Islam N, Baker S, Davidson F
Helen Keller International Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 1996 Jul;50 Suppl 3:S62-7.
Vitamin A deficiency is considered to be an important public health problem in Bangladesh. A universal biannual distribution of high-dose vitamin A capsules has been in place for over the past two decades. This supplementation has been beneficial for preschool children. Bangladesh has been exploring more sustainable approaches for all segments of the population. To support this initiative, Helen Keller International has implemented a homegardening promotion project since 1993. This project is executed on a large scale and currently reaches an estimated 244,000 families.
This paper presents data from 7341 women of reproductive age which were collected as part of the baseline census of a community monitoring system whose objective is to track progress and measure the impact of home-gardening activities.
Vitamin A intake in this population derived almost entirely from the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Logistic regression analyses showed that maternal vitamin A intake was determined by qualitative indicators of homestead gardens (type of home garden, the total quantity of provitamin A-rich food produced and the number of fruits and vegetables varieties grown in the garden) after adjusting for socio-economic status.
These results indicate that traditional production of provitamin A-rich fruits and vegetables in the homestead may provide a valuable contribution to vitamin A intake in communities where alternative dietary sources of vitamin A are scarce.
维生素A缺乏被认为是孟加拉国一个重要的公共卫生问题。在过去二十年里，一直实行每半年向全民普遍发放高剂量维生素A胶囊的做法。这种补充剂对学龄前儿童有益。孟加拉国一直在为所有人群探索更具可持续性的方法。为支持这一倡议，海伦·凯勒国际组织自1993年以来实施了一个家庭园艺推广项目。该项目大规模开展，目前估计惠及24.4万户家庭。
本文呈现了7341名育龄妇女的数据，这些数据是作为一个社区监测系统基线普查的一部分收集的，该系统旨在跟踪进展情况并衡量家庭园艺活动的影响。
该人群的维生素A摄入量几乎完全来自水果和蔬菜的消费。逻辑回归分析表明，在调整社会经济地位后，母亲的维生素A摄入量由宅基地菜园的定性指标（家庭菜园类型、富含维生素A原的食物总产量以及菜园中种植的水果和蔬菜品种数量）决定。
这些结果表明，在维生素A的替代饮食来源稀缺的社区，在宅基地传统生产富含维生素A原的水果和蔬菜可能对维生素A摄入量有重要贡献。
