The DOST-FNRI survey found that 16.9 percent of children in rural areas are deficient in vitamin A , while the prevalence in urban areas is at 13.6 percent.
One out of six or 15.5 percent of Filipino infants and children aged six months to five years had vitamin A deficiency , particularly those in the rural areas, based on the 2018-2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey of the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute .
“Vitamin A is fat-soluble which supports vision under poor lighting conditions and helps maintain a healthy immune system. It is better absorbed when consumed with food that contains fats and oils,” the FNRI said. The 2018-2019 ENNS also revealed that vitamin A deficient children had a higher proportion of inadequate dietary intake of vitamin A based on the estimated average requirement compared to children with normal vitamin A status.
Under the program, supplemental doses of vitamin A are administered every six months to infants below five years old.
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