Vitamin B12 concentrations in pregnant Colombian women: analysis of nationwide data 2010

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Robinson Ramírez-Vélez, Universidad del Rosario; Jorge Enrique Correa-Bautista, Universidad del Rosario; Javier Martínez-Torres, Universidad Santo Tomás; José Francisco Meneses-Echávez, Universidad Santo Tomás; Felipe Lobelo, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2016-02-01
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Ramírez-Vélez et al. 2016. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12884-016-0820-4
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
• ISSN: 1471-2393
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 26
• End Page: 26
• Grant/Funding Information: The ENSIN was funded by the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF, for its initials in Spanish) and conducted during the years 2008–2010.
• Keywords: Pregnancy; Vitamin B12; BIOMARKERS; GUATEMALAN INFANTS; Obstetrics & Gynecology; PROVINCE; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Prevalence; NUTRITION; SOUTH INDIAN WOMEN; FOLATE; COBALAMIN; POPULATION; Science & Technology; Nutrition; Deficiency; DEFICIENCY; METHYLMALONIC ACID
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, Nutrition; Health Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology

Abstract

Background: Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with many adverse health outcomes and is highly prevalent worldwide. The present study assesses the prevalence and socio-demographic factors associated with vitamin B12 deficiency in a representative sample of pregnant women in Colombia. Method: We used data from the cross-sectional, nationally representative survey (ENSIN, 2010). A total of 1.781, (13-49 years old) pregnant women were enrolled. Serum Vitamin B12 a concentration was determined by chemiluminescence and sociodemographic date was assessed by computer-assisted personal interview technology. Multivariate analyses using unordered multinomial logistic regression models were conducted in the main analysis. Results: Vitamin B12 concentrations ranged from 45 to 1000 pg/mL (mean 299.2 pg/mL, 95 % CI 290.6 to 303.7 pg/mL). A total of 18.6 % of pregnant women had vitamin B12 concentrations below 200 pg/mL and 41.3 % had concentrations between 200 and 300 pg/mL. Being of indigenous ethnicity, living in the east and living in a rural area showed the lowest mean values (273.2 pg/mL, 270.8 pg/mL and 290.1 pg/mL, respectively). The multivariate logistic regression shows that pregnant women belonging to the indigenous ethnic group OR 2.2, (95 % CI 1.1 to 4.3), living in the pacific region (west) OR 4.4, (95 % CI 2.8 to 6.9), or national territories (south) OR 2.3, (95 % CI 1.4 to 3.7) were associated with a higher probability of serum vitamin B12 deficiency. Conclusion: The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in Colombian pregnant women is substantial. Factors associated with depletion among pregnant women should be considered for future interventions in countries experiencing nutritional transition.