Children 6-59 months who received vitamin A supplementation (percentage)
Rationale for use
Supplementation with vitamin A is considered to be a critically important intervention for child survival owing to the strong evidence that exists for its impact on reducing child mortality. Therefore, measuring the proportion of children who have received vitamin A within the last 6 months is crucial for monitoring coverage of interventions towards the child survival-related Millennium Development Goals and Strategies.
Definition
Proportion of children aged 6–59 months who received a high-dose vitamin A supplement within the last 6 months.
Associated terms
High dose vitamin A: The International Vitamin A Consultative Group (IVACG) definition is: "doses equal or greater than 25 000 IU"
Data sources
Household surveys such as DHS and MICS.
Methods of estimation
Empirical data.
Disaggregation
By age, location (urban/rural, major regions/provinces), and socioeconomic characteristics (e.g. mother's education level, wealth quintile).
References
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Effectiveness of Vitamin A supplementation in the control of young child morbidity and mortality in developing countries
Beaton GH, Martorell R, Aronson KL, et al. Effectiveness of Vitamin A supplementation in the control of young child morbidity and mortality in developing countries. ACC/SCN State-of-the-art Series. Nutrition Policy Discussion Paper 13, 1993. -
Childhood morbidity and treatment patterns. Demographic and Health Surveys Comparative Studies No 4
Boerma JT, Sommerfelt AE, Rutstein SO. . Columbia, Institute for Reserve Development/Macro international, 1991. -
How many child deaths can we prevent this year?
Jones G, Steketee RW, Black RE, Bhutta ZA, Morris SS, and the Bellagio Child Survival Study Group. How many child deaths can we prevent this year? Lancet, 2003; 362:65–71. -
Comparative quantification of health risks: global and regional burden of disease attributable to selected major risk factors
Rice AL, West KP, Black RE. Vitamin A deficiency. In: Ezzati M, Lopez AD, Rogers A. Murray CJL, eds. Comparative quantification of health risks: global and regional burden of disease attributable to selected major risk factors. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2003. -
State of the world's children 2003
UNICEF. State of the world's children 2003. New York, United Nations Children's Fund, 2003.
Database
Comments
The framework for the discussion and review of child health indicators in the UNICEF/WHO Meeting on Child Survival Survey-based Indicators was the set of prevention and treatment interventions outlined in the Lancet series on child survival. These indicators are usually collected in DHS and MICS surveys; however the accuracy of reporting in household surveys varies and is likely to include recall bias. Therefore, the comparability of results across countries and over time may be affected. There are also significant discrepancies between data obtained through household surveys and those obtained from National Immunization Days and routine service statistics for this indicator, which are currently under investigation.