INTERACTIONS BETWEEN GROWTH AND NUTRIENT STATUS IN SCHOOL-AGE-CHILDREN OF URBAN BANGLADESH

The relationship between biochemical, anthropometric, and sociodemogra phic indexes was investigated in 242 children aged 5-12 y from five sc hools in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. As height-for-age increased so too di d the mean serum concentrations of hemoglobin, protein, vitamin A, and zinc; serum copper concentrations were highest in the shortest group. Serum copper concentrations were highest in those with the lowest ser um vitamin A concentrations. By multiple regression analysis, family i ncome, age, weight-for-age, hemoglobin, and serum copper were strongly related to serum vitamin A. For every unit change in serum vitamin A there was a 4.92 unit change in hemoglobin, when all the other factors were taken into account. This study shows that there is a complex int eraction between concentrations of biochemical indexes of nutritional status and other anthropometric, biochemical, and sociodemographic var iables.