Dietary Intake and Micronutrient Status of School Children in Enugu-South L.G.A., Enugu State, Nigeria

This study sought to assess the dietary intake and serum Zinc, Iron and Copper status of primary school children aged 5-13 years living in Enugu- South Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria. This study is a community-based cross-sectional study, adopting multistage random sampling techniques. Dietary intakes of the micronutrients were assessed using the 24 hours dietary recall. The micronutrient intakes of the children were evaluated using Dietary Requirement Intake as a reference. Two milliliters (2 ml) of non-fasting venous blood was taken from the children for serum micronutrient analysis. Three hundred and thirty (330) children were analyzed for serum micronutrient status; 155 (47%) were male while 175 (53%) were females, with their mean age 8 ± 1.09: The mean micronutrient intakes of the subjects were 4.98 ± 3.7, 4.53 ± 1.63, and 0.42 ± 0.20 mg/d for Fe, Zn and Cu respectively. Only the male group aged 5-9 years met 100% of the DRI for Zn while the 5-9 years females, 10-13 years males and 10-13 years female did not meet up with the DRI for Zn, Fe and Cu. The mean serum micronutrients of the total children were 63.16 ± 18.06, 62.27 ± 17.3 and 69.9 ± 14.99µg/dl for Fe, Zn and Cu respectively. Of the 330 children studied, 32%, 43% and 23% of them seem to be deficient in Fe, Zn and Cu respectively. The food intakes of the children did not supply the recommended Dietary Requirement Intake for school children. There is, therefore, an urgent need to educate the public on good eating habits and the need for diversification of diets with animal products, fruits and vegetables to ensure adequate intake of these essential micronutrients.