Report on survey of iron nutritional status and nutritional anemia in Jamaica

ABSTRACT

This is a report of the first study of the iron nutritional status in Jamaica. There were 5509 participants: 2716 females who were not pregnant or lactating(NPNL), and 2334 males, aged 0 - 19 years; and 209 pregnant and 250 lactating women. 56 percent of the boys and 56 percent of the girls less than 2 years old, 34 percent of the boys and 37 percent of the girls aged 2-4 years, and 25 percent of the 15- 19 year-old NPNL females, were iron deficient(iron stores 0 mg or less). The prevalence of iron deficiency in other males and NPNL females varied between 13 and 15 percent. The prevalence of iron deficiency among pregnant and lactating women was 53 percent and 34 percent, respectively