What to know
- Presentation Day/Time: Thursday, April 24, 2:25–2:45 pm
- Presenter: Mollie Killion, DNP, BSN, EIS officer assigned to the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity
What did we do?
- Low folate levels in adolescent girls can lead to anemia and adverse developmental and pregnancy outcomes. Serum folate reflects intake during the past 4–6 hours, whereas red blood cell (RBC) folate shows status during the past 3–4 months.
- This study describes folate status among in-school adolescents in Ghana.
- A national, school-based, 2022 survey assessed the folate status of 1,306 adolescent girls aged 10–19 years in Ghana by using microbiologic assay in serum and whole blood specimens collected via venipuncture.
What did we find?
• Junior high school level was significantly associated with increased prevalence of RBC folate insufficiency.
• Those from Northern Savannah were 5.3 times as likely to experience serum folate deficiency and 1.6 times as likely to have RBC folate deficiency, compared with those from the Tropical Forest region.
• Adolescent girls in Ghana have lower prevalence of serum and RBC folate deficiency but high prevalence of RBC folate insufficiency, with differences by region, school level, and socioeconomic status.
Why does it matter?
- Access to fortified products, dietary diversification, and expansion of targeted supplementation programs could be important leverage points for improving folate status among adolescent schoolgirls in Ghana.
***This presentation has updated data that will be shared at the EIS Conference.
Abstract Category: Global Health, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health