Study on serum iron level and relevant factors among preschool children

  Objective   To investigate serum iron level and relevant factors among preschool children in Shenzhen city, and to provide scientific basis of making policy for children health protection.

  Methods   300 preschool children from 3 representative infants schools in Shenzhen city were selected by several stages cluster sampling.The questionnaire survey was conducted and the nutrilites of serum iron was also determined in the laboratory.The descriptive analysis and Log istic regression analysis were performed by SPSS 10.0.

  Results   (1) The serum iron level of Shenzhen preschool children was as follows: the median was 12.60 mol/L; the minimum was 49.00 mol/L; the maximum was 20.39 mol/L.There was significant difference between males and females, and the males average level was higher than the females(t=2.369, P=0.018);There was non-significant difference among different ages(F=1.090, P=0.353).(2)There were 37.54% children whose serum iron was lower than normal level, and there was nonsignificant difference between males and females(χ²=0.458 6, P=0 498).(3)The six relevant factors on the serum iron status: children supplementary iron and fish-liver oil, mother breast feeding and mothers education were protective factors; having suffering anemia in the latest six months and the respiratory diseases in the latest two months were risk factors.

  Conclusion   The serum iron deficiency existed among preschool children in Shenzhen to several kinds of degrees, and it was related to several factors.Therefore, some useful ways were suggested such as strengthening nutrition health education, adjusting dietary structure, reasonable supplementary nutrilites in order to prevent preschool children s serum iron deficiency.