European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE WOMEN LIVING IN THE URBAN AREA OF MOROCCO

Fatima Barich*, Fatima Zahra Laamiri, Souad Benaich, Chaimae Serbouti, Anass Rami, Hicham El Berri, Hasnae Benkirane, Khalid El Kari, Amina Barkat, El Arbi Rjimati, Hassan Aguenaou

ABSTRACT

Micronutrient deficiencies are a public health problem at the national and the international levels. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the status of minerals and vitamins in women’s population of reproductive age living in an urban area in Morocco. The study involved 542 women aged 19-49 recruited in several health centers. Socio-economic (SES) and demographic status were collected. Anthropometric parameters including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) are measured. Nutritional data for the following micronutrients: iron, iodine, zinc, sodium, calcium, vitamins A, B9 and D were processed by Nutrilog software (with Moroccan Food Composition Table) and analyzed by statistical software (SPSS version 13.0).The analysis of the results revealed that 34.3% of women were overweight and 22.7% were obese. A deficiency compared to the nutritional reference intake (ANR) of iron, iodine, calcium, zinc, vitamin A, and B9 was respectively also noted in women with proportions of 100%, 97% 98.7%, 71.2%, 96.5% and 81.7%. Regarding sodium, all women had an excess of intake. The monthly expenditure was less than 3000$ in half of the population and more than half spend less than 272.32$ per month. Our study clearly showed that micronutrient status was very low among Moroccan women. It is therefore urgent to put in place specific strategies, in particular to raise awareness and improve nutrition education programs for the benefit of this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Micronutrient, Women of Childbearing Age, Urban, Recall 24-h.