{"title":"Assessment of Skin Carotenoids among School Children.","authors":"Raba Thapa, Sanduk Ruit, Paul S Bernstein","doi":"10.33314/jnhrc.v22i04.4648","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study aimed to assess skin carotenoid measurement among children in the Hill region of Nepal.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>School children between 3 to 7 years old from six schools were enrolled in the study. Skin carotenoid levels were assessed using the Veggie Meter® (Longevity Link Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA). Detailed eye evaluations were conducted in subjects with low skin carotenoid scores (<150 Reflectance Units(RU)) and/or those with a history of night blindness.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 324 school children were enrolled in the study with mean age of 5.12±1.33 years. The mean skin carotenoid score was 163±71 RU, ranging from 1 to 363 RU. The skin carotenoid level was <150 RU in 46.9% of children and between 150 and 200 RU in 23.5% of children. Low skin carotenoid scores (<150 RU) were found in 17% of 3 year olds, 28.3% each of 4 and 5 year olds, 20.4% of 6 year olds, and 11.2% of 7 year olds. In multivariate analysis, age was significantly associated with low skin carotenoid scores (p=0.003; OR; 2.02; 95% CI: 1.28- 3.19). Odds of having <150 RU was 2.02 times more among the children up to five years old as compared to those over five years of age.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Nearly half of the school children had low skin carotenoid scores. Skin carotenoid score was significantly lower among the lower age group. These findings emphasize the need to enhance awareness to consume plenty of green leafy vegetables and fruits in the diet.</p>","PeriodicalId":16380,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Nepal Health Research Council","volume":"22 4","pages":"654-661"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Nepal Health Research Council","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v22i04.4648","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to assess skin carotenoid measurement among children in the Hill region of Nepal.
Methods: School children between 3 to 7 years old from six schools were enrolled in the study. Skin carotenoid levels were assessed using the Veggie Meter® (Longevity Link Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA). Detailed eye evaluations were conducted in subjects with low skin carotenoid scores (<150 Reflectance Units(RU)) and/or those with a history of night blindness.
Results: A total of 324 school children were enrolled in the study with mean age of 5.12±1.33 years. The mean skin carotenoid score was 163±71 RU, ranging from 1 to 363 RU. The skin carotenoid level was <150 RU in 46.9% of children and between 150 and 200 RU in 23.5% of children. Low skin carotenoid scores (<150 RU) were found in 17% of 3 year olds, 28.3% each of 4 and 5 year olds, 20.4% of 6 year olds, and 11.2% of 7 year olds. In multivariate analysis, age was significantly associated with low skin carotenoid scores (p=0.003; OR; 2.02; 95% CI: 1.28- 3.19). Odds of having <150 RU was 2.02 times more among the children up to five years old as compared to those over five years of age.
Conclusions: Nearly half of the school children had low skin carotenoid scores. Skin carotenoid score was significantly lower among the lower age group. These findings emphasize the need to enhance awareness to consume plenty of green leafy vegetables and fruits in the diet.
背景:本研究旨在评估尼泊尔山区儿童皮肤类胡萝卜素测量。方法:选取6所学校3 ~ 7岁的学龄儿童进行研究。皮肤类胡萝卜素水平使用Veggie Meter®(Longevity Link Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA)进行评估。对皮肤类胡萝卜素得分低的受试者进行详细的视力评估(结果:共有324名学龄儿童入组,平均年龄5.12±1.33岁。皮肤类胡萝卜素平均评分为163±71 RU,范围为1 ~ 363 RU。结论:近半数学龄儿童皮肤类胡萝卜素得分较低。年龄越小,皮肤类胡萝卜素得分越低。这些发现强调了在饮食中摄入大量绿叶蔬菜和水果的必要性。
期刊介绍:
The journal publishes articles related to researches done in the field of biomedical sciences related to all the discipline of the medical sciences, medical education, public health, health care management, including ethical and social issues pertaining to health. The journal gives preference to clinically oriented studies over experimental and animal studies. The Journal would publish peer-reviewed original research papers, case reports, systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Editorial, Guest Editorial, Viewpoint and letter to the editor are solicited by the editorial board. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) regarding manuscript submission and processing at JNHRC.