Simplifying and Validating Vitamin A Status Testing in Schoolchildren Aged 7 to 12 in Burkina Faso

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are conducting two cross-sectional community-based studies during a school year among schoolchildren aged 7 to 12 years in Orodara, Burkina Faso. The studies aim to improve the use of the retinol isotope dilution RID technique to accurately assess vitamin A status, from deficiency to excess, in this population. This work supports the development of public health programs and vitamin A interventions in the region. The first study takes place during the end of the rainy season and mango season November to December, and the second study occurs 5 to 6 months later during the mango season April to May. A group of 60 children will undergo the RID test involving an oral dose of labeled retinyl acetate followed by blood sampling, while 98 children will be divided into male and female groups to receive the modified relative dose response MRDR test to investigate absorption of 3,4-didehydroretinyl acetate. Blood samples will be collected at multiple time points for analysis. Participants will have anthropometric measurements, hemoglobin status assessment, malaria testing, and stool samples collected. Blood samples will be processed and analyzed using advanced laboratory techniques including mass spectrometry and chromatography. Community sensitization will precede recruitment, and informed consent will be obtained. The primary outcome is vitamin A status measured using these methods over three years. The study aims to simplify and validate vitamin A assessment methods for larger population use.

Validation and Simplification of the Retinol Isotope Dilution Technique in Burkinabe Schoolchildren