Prevalence of anemia and deficiency of iron, folic acid, and zinc in children younger than 2 years of age who use the health services provided by the Mexican Social Security Institute

2007

Micronutrient Deficiencies in Mexican Children Under 2 Years

Sample size: 4955 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Ximena Duque, Sergio Flores-Hernández, Samuel Flores-Huerta, Ignacio Méndez-Ramírez, Sergio Muñoz, Bernardo Turnbull, Gloria Martínez-Andrade, Rosa I Ramos, Marco González-Unzaga, María E Mendoza, Homero Martínez

Primary Institution: Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social

Hypothesis

What is the prevalence of anemia and deficiencies of iron, folic acid, and zinc in Mexican children under 2 years of age who use health services?

Conclusion

Iron and zinc deficiencies are the main micronutrient deficiencies in Mexican children under 2 years old using IMSS health services, with a significant prevalence of anemia not linked to low ferritin levels.

Supporting Evidence

20% of children under 2 years had anemia.
32.6% of urban children had iron deficiency.
More than 50% of anemia cases were not associated with low ferritin.
28% of urban children had low serum zinc levels.
10% of urban children had folic acid deficiencies.

Takeaway

Many young children in Mexico are not getting enough iron and zinc, which can make them sick and stop them from growing properly.

Methodology

A nationwide survey was conducted with a representative sample of 4,955 clinically healthy children under 2 years of age to determine their micronutrient status through blood samples.