Abstract

Background: Zinc deficiency is an important problem in children, especially in developing countries. Zinc supplements have beneficial effects on multiple factors, including treatment of growth retardation and hypogonadism, and they can be used as therapeutic and prophylactic agents against infection in children. 

Objective: To determine the prevalence of zinc deficiency in 6-month to 12-year-old children in Bandar Abbas.

Methods: This study was done in Bandar Abbas in 2013. In this cross-sectional study, 583 children were evaluated after obtaining a written informed consent from their parents. Zinc levels < 6 μg/dl were defined as zinc deficiency, zinc levels of 80-66 μg/dl were defined as insufficient, and zinc levels of 80-115 μg/dl were defined as sufficient levels. SPSS software, version 20, descriptive statistics, the chi-squared test, and the t-test were used to analyze the data. 

Results: Five hundred and eighty-three children with a mean age of 42.82±30.68 months participated in this study. Among the participants, 263 (45.1%) were females, and 320 (54.9%) were males. The prevalence of zinc deficiency was 17.5% in this study. Zinc deficiencies were reported in 67 males (20.94%) males and in 35 females (13.30%). Zinc deficiencies were more common in boys, and this difference was statistically significant (p=0.01).

Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the prevalence of zinc deficiencies is high in Bandar Abbas and that it is more prevalent in males than in females. The children in this area should be screened for zinc deficiency. Future studies should focus on then treatment of zinc deficiency and its role in different aspects of children’s health.

 

Keywords: Zinc deficiency, Children, Growth retardation
 
» HTML Fulltext    » PDF Fulltext    » doi: 10.19082/5088
Nike Roshe Run MenAir Jordan 1 Low Emerald Rise/White-Black For Sale

The  most recent editorial (June 2021)

Ethics of Publishing Case Reports: Do We Need Ethics Approval and Patient Consent?

An editorial by Dr. Mehrdad Jalalian

Read more.


The worldwide spread of COVID-19 as an emerging, rapidly evolving situation, and the dramatic need of urgent medicine or vaccine, has rapidly brought new hypotheses for pathophysiology and potential medicinal agents to the fore. It is crucial that the research community provide a way to publish this research in a timely manner.

 

To contribute to this important public health discussion, the Electronic Physician Journal is excited to announce a fast-track procedure to help researchers publish their articles on COVID-19 related subjects that fall under the broad definition of public health, internal medicine, and pharmacology. We are especially welcome to all hypotheses about the pathological basis of the COVID-19 infection and the possible characteristics of potential medicine and vaccine. Submit your manuscript here

 


Our previous editorial (June 2020)

Lessons from COVID-19 pandemic and the Morocco’s success story.

An editorial by Dr. Benksim Abdelhafid (Morocco)

Read more.


 

The 6th World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI) is to be held on June 2-5, 2019 in Hong Kong.

The WCRI is the largest and most significant international conference on research integrity. Since the first conference in Lisbon in 2007, it has given researchers, teachers, funding agencies, government officials, journal editors, senior administrators, and research students opportunities to share experiences and to discuss and promote integrity in research. Read more:


 

TDR Clinical Research and Development Fellowships

Call for applications

Deadline for submission: 7 March 2019, 16:00 (GMT)

TDR provides fellowships for early- to mid-career researchers and clinical trial staff (e.g. clinicians, pharmacists, medical statisticians, data managers, other health researchers) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to learn how to conduct clinical trials. Read more:


Meta-Analysis Workshops in New York, USA, and London, UK, in April and May 2019

Don't miss this exceptional opportunity to learn how to perform and report a Meta-analysis correctly. Two Meta-analysis workshops are organized in April and May 2019 by Dr. Michael Borenstein in New York, USA (April 08-10, 2019) and London, UK (May 27-29).

About the Instructor

Dr. Michael Borenstein, one of the authors of Introduction to Meta-Analysis, is widely recognized for his ability to make statistical concepts accessible to researchers as well as to statisticians. He has lectured widely on meta-analysis, including at the NIH, CDC, and FDA. Read more: