Background: Vulnerable populations at risk of micronutrient deficiencies include children and women, especially pregnant women, lactating mothers, infants and young children. According to WHO guidelines, a population with a micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiency of more than 20% is considered a public health problem.
Although Mongolia has made significant progress in improving the nutritional status of the population, especially children and women, the 2024 VI survey found that micronutrient deficiencies are high among pregnant women.
The MMS (Multi-ingredient Micronutrient Supplement) distributed to pregnant women by soum and household health centers contains all the essential vitamins and minerals for pregnant women, but coverage has remained inadequate for more than 10 years. Goal: To establish the prevalence of micronutrients deficiency in pregnant women Materials and Methods: Totally 2796 pregnant women included in cross-sectional study from urban and rural area. Survey procedures consisted of interview, anthropometric measurements, clinical examinations, and the collection of biological (blood and urine) samples for pregnant women. Micronutrient deficiencies were assessed by tests for hemoglobin, serum, ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), 25-hydroxyvitamin D {25(ОН)D}, spot urine samples for determination of urinary iodine concentration. Statistical processing : The data from the survey questionnaires were entered into a database created in the “EpiData 3.1” software environment. The data created and verified in the EpiData software environment were converted to the “SPSS–25” program, and statistical analysis was also performed using the SPSS-25 program. The results table was prepared using Microsoft Word 2021 and Microsoft Excel 2021 programs. Research ethics: The research methodology was discussed at the meeting of the Medical Ethics Review Committee under the Ministry of Health on 2023.03.27 (23/017), and permission to conduct the study was obtained Result : The prevalence of anemia, as measured by hemoglobin, was 22.3% and the iron deficiency anemia (IDA), as measured by adjusted serum ferritin or soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) was (39.8%/9.0%). Prevalence of iron deficiency as measured by serum ferritin was also highest in Western 41.9% and lowest in Khangai region 40.2% (P<0.01). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women was high at 92.5%, and 7.5% of all pregnant women had adequate vitamin D status. The median concentration of 76.4µg/l indicates inadequate iodine status in pregnant women, as the desired range for adequate iodine nutrition in pregnancy 150-249 µg/l. Conclusions 1. 22.3 percent of pregnant women are anemic, and the prevalence of anemia has not decreased from 2017 levels and remains common.
2. The prevalence of iron deficiency (as measured by ferritin levels) was 39.8 μg/L and the soluble transferrin receptor level was 9.0 μg/L, which is higher than previous studies.
3. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women remains common, with 76.6% having severe or moderate deficiency, and 15.9% having mild deficiency.