The effectiveness of micronutrient supplementation on Serum vitamin D and Zinc concentrations among female school children 11 to13 years old in ethnic minority semi boarding secondary schools in Yen Bai province in 2019

Abstract

The overall objective of this research is to evaluated the effectiveness of multiple micronutrient supplementation on vitamin D and zinc concentrations among female school children 11 to 13 years old ( -4 <HAZ < -1) in ethnic minority semi boarding secondary schools in Yen Bai province. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted among 472 school girlsdivided into 2 groups. The multi-micronutrient supplements consist of vitamin D₃ (15 mcg), zinc (6,5 mg) and 18 other micronutrients. Each of the subject received one tablet everyday x 5 days/week for 6 months. Results showed that after 6 months, the mean serum vitamin D concentration of the intervention group increased by 10.99 ± 11.25 (nmol/l); the placebo group increased by 4.52 ± 10.68 (nmol/l). The mean serum zinc concentration of the intervention group increased by 0.82 ± 1.04 (μmol/L); the placebo group increased by 0.25 ± 1.24 (μmol/L). The mean difference at 6 months and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (p < 0.01; p < 0.001). The effectiveness indexes (ARR, NNT) of the intervention changed statistically significantly between the intervention group and the placebo group (p < 0.05). We found that multi-micronutrient supplementation for girls for 6 months improved vitamin D and zinc.