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.Vítamin A deficiency, a prevalent nutritional problem in many developing
countries (McLaren, 1965 ; sommer, À., 1982) occurs in conjunction
with Protein-Energy Malnutrition (,:etti ffe, 1 966 ) ; that is,
increased prevalence of PEM could usually be followed by increased prevalence
of Vitamin À deficiency. This is because, insufficient Retinol
Binding protein (Serum Vitamin A binding protein) is biosynthesized in
the liver.
Since retinol-binding protein is the means of transport of
retinol from the liver to the blood, the blood retinol tevel will consequently
fa11, regardless of the retinol status (Uunilal and Glover,
19-14), and hence tissue suppry of retinol wirl decrease.
Night-brindness or poor dark adaptation, is the primary sign of vitamin
A deficiency.
Hypovitaminosis A (vitamin A deficiency) is a highly prevalent nutritional
problem in pre-school and school age children. Identifying of
children wilh one of the earliest form of the deficiency (poor dark
adaptation) could help to implement of interventions and hence limit the
progress of Vitamin a deficiency disease. However, there is no suitable
and applicable method of screening for early hypovitaminosis A in children,
especially very young children.
Part I of the thesis describes the relationship found of certain
socio-economic and health variables to protein-energy status in a
serecled geographical area of Ethiopia. The protein-energy status
(nutritional status) was assessed using anthropometric indicalors such
as l'[eight-for-Age, Height-for-Àge, and [.teight-for-Height. part II of
the thesis describes the development of a simple method of measuring
dark adaptation function and its use to measure dark adapLation in children,
including young children.
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