Vitamin B12 serostatus in Colombian children and adult women: results from a nationally representative survey

Objective: Vitamin B-12 deficiency is associated with many adverse health outcomes and is highly prevalent worldwide. The present study assesses the prevalence of vitamin B-12 deficiency and marginal deficiency in Colombian children and women and examines the sociodemographic correlates of serum vitamin B-12 concentrations in these groups. Design: Cross-sectional, nationally representative survey. Setting: Colombia. Subjects: Children <18 years old (n 7243), pregnant women (n 1781), and nonpregnant women 18-49 years old (n 499). Results: The overall prevalence of vitamin B-12 deficiency (serum vitamin B-12 < 148 pmol/l) and marginal deficiency (serum vitamin B-12 = 148-221 pmol/l) was, respectively, 6.6 % (95 % CI 5.2%, 8.3 %) and 22.5 % (95 % CI 21.1%, 23.9 %). Pregnant women had the highest prevalence of deficiency (18.9 %; 95 % CI 16.6%, 21.5 %) compared with non-pregnant adult women (18.5 %; 95 % CI 4.4%, 53.1%) and children (2.8 %; 95 % CI 2.3 % %, 3.3 %). In multivariable analyses among children, mean serum vitamin B-12 was positively associated with female sex (12 pmol/l higher compared with males; P=0.004), secondary or higher education of the household head (12 pmol/l higher compared with primary or less; P= 0.009) and food security (21 pmol/l higher compared with severe food insecurity; P= 0.003). In multivariable analyses among pregnant women, mean serum vitamin B-12 was positively associated with education of the household head and inversely associated with living in the National territories, Eastern or Pacific regions. Conclusions: The prevalence of vitamin B-12 deficiency and marginal deficiency in Colombian women and children is substantial. The burden falls largely on adult women, those with lowest education and those living in the poorest, most rural regions of the country.