GiveWell's analysis of recent vitamin A deficiency surveys, 2024 v2 (public)

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O
1	VAD data sources for HKI countries reported in WHO Micronutrients Database, part of the Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition Information Systems (VMNIS)
2		Burkina Faso	Cameroon	Cote d'Ivoire	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Guinea	Kenya	Madagascar	Mali	Mozambique	Niger	Angola	Chad	Togo	Uganda

3	National VAD Results
4	National VAD survey available in VMNIS?	N	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	N	Y	N	Y	N	N	Y
5	National VAD prevalence, 1st survey	0.502	0.39	0.24	0.61	n/a	0.41	0.42	n/a	0.69	n/a	0.64	n/a	n/a	0.28
6	Year, 1st survey	2020	2000	2007	1999	n/a	1994	2000	n/a	2002	n/a	1999	n/a	n/a	2001
7	Age range, 1st survey	6-59 mos	12-71 mos	6-59 mos	6-36 mos	n/a	6-72 mos	6-59	n/a	6-59 mos	n/a	0-60 mos	n/a	n/a	6-59 mos
8	Sample size, 1st survey	693	2375	782	601	n/a	6425	589	n/a	705	n/a	765	n/a	n/a	859
9	National VAD prevalence, 2nd survey	n/a	0.35	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.84	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.2
10	Year, 2nd survey	n/a	2009	n/a	n/a	n/a	1999	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2006
11	Age range, 2nd survey	n/a	12-59 mos	n/a	n/a	n/a	2-60 mos	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	6-59 mos
12	Sample size, 2nd survey	n/a	838	n/a	n/a	n/a	945	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2460
13	National VAD prevalence, 3rd survey	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.09	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.38
14	Age range, 3rd survey	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	6-59 mos	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	6-59 mos
15	Year, 3rd survey	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2011	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2011
16	Sample size, 3rd survey	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	918	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	2091
17	Average VAD rate across all past surveys	50%	37%	24%	61%	n/a	44.67%	42.00%	n/a	69.00%	n/a	64.00%	n/a	n/a	28.67%
18	VAD rate in most recent survey	50%	35%	24%	61%	n/a	9.00%	42.00%	n/a	69.00%	n/a	64.00%	n/a	n/a	38.00%
19	Year of most recent survey	2020	2009	2007	1999	n/a	2011	2000	n/a	2002	n/a	1999	n/a	n/a	2011
20	Type of biomarker used	Serum retinol	Serum retinol (2000), RBP (2009)	RBP	Serum retinol	n/a	Serum retinol (1999), RBP (2011)	Serum retinol				Serum retinol			Serum retinol (2001); RBP (2006 and 2011)
21	Notes				Small sample size. No mention of correction for inflammation. Missing 3 provinces due to instability at time of mapping. Designed to be nationally representative but samples not collected from clusters in Oriental and Maniema provinces and Tanganyika district due to war. Data collected in 18 of the 30 health zones, covering 8 of the 11 provinces.		1994 survey included all provinces and made no mention of controlling for inflammation.					No mention of adjusting for information			Survey limited to 41 out of 45 districts in Uganda, exlcuding districts of Kasese, Bundibugyo, Gulu, and Kitgum for security reasons. Survey covered 95% of the total population.
22	References	Burkina Faso National Micronutrient Survey 2020, p. 8	Source: Helen Keller International Cameroun, Ministère de la Sante Publique du Cameroun, UNICEF. Enquête nationale sur les carences en micronutriments et les habitudes de consommation des aliments fortifiables [National survey of micronutrient status and consumption of fortifiable foods]. Yaoundé (Cameroon): Helen Keller International; 2011. (for 2009 survey) The VMNIS database does not list a specific source for the 2000 survey.	Tschannen AB, Rohner F, Gohou V, Bosso E, Malan A. Enquête nationale sur l'anémie et les carences en vitamine A et fer en Côte d'Ivoire (Rapport final) [National survey on anaemia and iron and vitamin A deficiency in Côte d'Ivoire (final report)]. Abidjan: Ministère de la Santé et de l'Hygiène Publique, Helen Keller International; 2010 (in French).	National bureau of health estimates. Ministère de la Santé, Bureau National TDCI, UNICEF, CEPLANUT. Importance de la carence en vitamine A en Republique Democratique du Congo. Kinshasa: Ministère de la Santé; 2000 (in French).		Gitau W. Report of the National Micronutrient Survey - February to August 1994. Nairobi: University of Nairobi; 1995; Mwaniki DL, Omwega AM, Muniu EM, Mutunga JN, Akelola R, Shako BR et al. Anaemia and status of iron, vitamin A and zinc in Kenya. The 1999 National Survey. Nairobi: Ministry of Health; 2002; The Kenya National Micronutrient Survey 2011. Nairobi: Ministry of Health; 2012.	MOST, USAID Micronutrient Program. Enquête sur la carence en vitamine A chez les femmes et les enfants et enquête sur l’anémie chez les ecoliers de 6 à 14 ans, Madagascar 2000. Washington DC: U.S. Agency for International Development; 2001.		Maputo: National Directorate of Health, Ministry of Health; 2006.		UNICEF, Ministry of Health [Republic of Angola]. Assessing vitamin A and iron deficiency aneamia, nutritional aneamia among children aged 0 to 60 months in the Republic of Angola. Technical Report. Luanda: Ministry of Health, Angola; 2000.			Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2000- 2001. Calverton: Uganda Bureau of Statistics and ORC Macro; 2001.
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24	Regional VAD results (if national unavailable)
25	Regional VAD survey available?	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	N	n/a	n/a	Y	n/a	N	n/a	Y	N	n/a
26	Average regional VAD prevalence	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	0.927	n/a	n/a	n/a	28%	n/a	n/a
27	Year							n/a	1997				2008
28	Type of indicator used in survey							n/a	Serum retinol and MRDR				Serum retinol
29	Sample size							n/a	1510				288
30	Notes							n/a	Narrow geographic focus				Very small study with limited information value. However, a more recent 2012 VAD survey of adults in Chad (Crump et al. 2017) finds a similar 24% VAD rate.
31	Reference							n/a	Schemann et al. 2002				Bechir et al. 2012
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33	Xerophthalmia
34	National xerophthalmia survey available in VMNIS?	N	N	Y	N	N	Y		N (regional available)		Y
35	Years			2007 (same as above)			1994		1997		1992, 2000
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37	Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in most recent VAD survey result for under-5 children	50%	35%	24%	61%	n/a	9%	42%	93%	69%	n/a	64%	28%	n/a	38%
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