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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Body Height, Body Weight, Breast Feeding, Child, Preschool, Double-Blind Method, Female, Growth, Humans, Infant, Male, Nutritional Status, Placebos, Seasons, Vitamin A.
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Is the impact of vitamin A supplementation on physical growth of children dependent on season? Context: To determine the impact of vitamin A supplementation on physical growth in young children. Randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial. Urban slum community clinic. 900 children, aged 12-59 months, attending the community clinic with diarrhea of < or = 7 d were included in the trial. Each child was given a single dose capsule containing 200,000 IU vitamin A or placebo at enrollment. Mean increments in weight and height during the 90 d period post supplementation. In all children, the mean increments in weight following supplementation were 0.66 kg (s.d. 0.5) and 0.64 kg (s.d. 0.6) in the vitamin A and placebo groups (P = 0.5). The mean increments in height were also similar in the two treatment groups (P = 0.5). Serum vitamin A was measured in 40 randomly selected children in each group; the proportion of subclinical deficiency (serum retinol < 20 micrograms/dl) was 62.5% in those enrolled during summer (April through July) as compared to 21.1% in those enrolled during the remaining cooler months of the year (P = 0.02). In the children supplemented with vitamin A during summer, the mean increment in weight was 140 g more than those who received placebo (95% confidence interval CI 30-250); there was also a significant reduction in the proportion of children who were wasted (< -2 weight-for-height Z-score) at end study (Odds Ratio 0.53, 95% CI 0.28-1.0, P = 0.03). There was no significant impact of vitamin A on height increments in children supplemented during summer.
assistant
Vitamin A supplementation in 12-59 month old children improves weight gain in the subsequent three months only in the summer season, but not during the rest of the year. Final Decision: yes