An assessment of serum zinc status among school children in Neyriz
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Abstract
Introduction: Zinc is one of the essential trace elements present in the structure of many enzymes and is essential for growth, development, reproduction, and central nervous system and immune system function. This study was carried out to determine serum zinc status among primary school children in Neyriz.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 205 randomly selected primary school children with an age range of 7-11 years. 3ml fasting blood venous was obtained from children and the serum zinc level was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The data were analyzed using descriptive tests and student t- test.
Results: The mean serum zinc concentration was 88.08±34.37 μg/dl , being significantly higher in boys (P< 0.05). 30.2% of them had zinc deficiency.
Conclusion: The Results reveal that zinc deficiency is a nutritional problem among primary school children. Further studies are recommended to be conducted in inorder to find the main causes of zinc deficiency, aiming at eliminating it.
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