COMPARISON OF VITAMIN-A STATUS ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN CHILDREN FROM 2 INDONESIAN VILLAGES

The vitamin A statuses of preschool-aged children without clinical eye signs of vitamin A deficiency in two villages near Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, were studied by the modified-relative-dose-response (MRDR) test and the conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) method. In the second village the relative-dose-response (RDR) test was also applied. Of the children examined, 71% in the first village (group 1, n = 75) and 36% in the second village (group 2, n = 83) fell below the third percentile of the WHO reference standard of weight-for-age. The following provisional cutoff values for inadequate vitamin A status in Indonesia were used: MRDR (greater than or equal to 0.06), RDR (greater than or equal to 20%), CIC (an abnormal impression in one eye). The percent abnormal values were as follows: group 1-MRDR 48%, CIC 51%; group 2-MRDR 12%, RDR 11%, CIC 5%. Thus, the indicators gave concordant results for the two populations but did not necessarily identify the same individuals at risk. The consistency of the RDR test was much improved by increasing the oral dose to 3.5 mu mol and by retesting only after a 3-wk interval.