{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,8]],"date-time":"2026-10-08T12:37:36Z","timestamp":1791463056065,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,3,4]],"date-time":"2020-03-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1583280000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":63,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BioMed Research International"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p><jats:italic>Background<\/jats:italic>. Vitamin A deficiency is a major nutritional concern in lower\u2010income countries. The aim of this systematic review and meta\u2010analysis was to show the magnitude of vitamin A deficiency among preschoolers in Ethiopia. <jats:italic>Objective<\/jats:italic>. The present study was aimed at synthesizing qualitatively and quantitatively the existing literature on the prevalence of VAD in preschool children in Ethiopia. <jats:italic>Methods<\/jats:italic>. Studies were searched through the search engine of Google Scholar, Hinari, MEDLINE\/PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Africa\u2010Wide Information. Searching was made using the keywords\/MeSH of vitamin A deficiency, xerophthalmia, night blindness, Bitot\u2019s spot, retinol, children, and Ethiopia. Data were analyzed and compared with the WHO threshold criteria to declare a public health problem. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using a Cochran <jats:italic>Q<\/jats:italic> test and <jats:italic>I<\/jats:italic><jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> statistics. A random\u2010effects model with 95% confidence interval was used for prevalence estimations. <jats:italic>Results<\/jats:italic>. Of the 13 studies included in clinical analysis, 12 of them reported the prevalence of night blindness and\/or Bitot\u2019s spot among preschool children in Ethiopia which was above WHO cutoff point for the public health problem 1% and 0.5%, respectively. The prevalence of night blindness significantly decreased from moderate public health problem 4.2% (95% CI: 2.8%\u20105.7%) in a period from 1990 to 2004 to mild public health problem 0.8% (95% CI: 0.6%\u20101.0%) in a period from 2005 to 2019. Furthermore, statistically insignificant reduction was observed in the prevalence of Bitot\u2019s spot in a period from 1990 to 2004, 2.2% (95% CI: 1.3%\u20103.2%) to 1.8% (95% CI: 1.2%\u20102.3%) in a period from 2005 to 2019. Among 8 studies on subclinical vitamin A deficiency, 7 of them indicated a severe public health problem (&gt;20%). The prevalence of subclinical vitamin A deficiency decreased from 55.7% (95% CI: 39.8%\u201071.6%) in a period from 1990 to 2004 to 28.3% (95% CI: 9.8%\u201046.7%) in a period from 2005 to 2019, but not statistically significant. <jats:italic>Conclusions<\/jats:italic>. Despite the reduced proportion of night blindness and Bitot\u2019s spot, still both clinical and subclinical vitamin A deficiencies remain a public health problem in Ethiopia requiring strengthen intervention through the newly initiated health extension program.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1155\/2020\/8032894","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,3,4]],"date-time":"2020-03-04T23:32:27Z","timestamp":1583364747000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":39,"title":["Prevalence of Vitamin A Deficiency among Preschool Children in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta\u2010Analysis"],"prefix":"10.1155","volume":"2020","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7215-9489","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zekariyas","family":"Sahile","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4961-2310","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Delelegn","family":"Yilma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7703-9577","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robel","family":"Tezera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tadu","family":"Bezu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Werissaw","family":"Haileselassie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benyam","family":"Seifu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0357-7812","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jemal Haidar","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,3,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_1_2","volume-title":"Global prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in populations at risk 1995\u20132005 WHO Global Database on Vitamin A Deficiency","author":"WHO","year":"2009"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_2","volume-title":"Vitamin A deficiency and its consequences: a field guide to detection and control","author":"Sommer A.","year":"1995"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/jn\/132.9.2845S"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_2","volume-title":"Global health risks. 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