5% to 0.9%. However, sub-clinical VAD persists; 35% of preschool children in the national survey had low plasma vitamin A levels. In three under-served provinces, Quezon, Samar, and Zamboanga, survey data show clinical signs of vitamin A deficiency in preschool children to a degree that indicates a significant public health problem. Vitamin A intakes are below recommended levels for pregnant (34%) and lactating (59%) women among whom 0.5% to 1.6% report night blindness.
Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA).
IDA increases the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes including prematurity, low birth weight, and maternal mortality. The 1993 National Nutrition Survey reported IDA among 43-49% of older infants, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly. These rates were practically identical to those for pregnant women in the 1987 national survey and are consistent with estimates of inadequate dietary iron intakes in 40-45% of pregnant and lactating women. Hemoglobin levels decrease with advancing pregnancy, with apparent low iron stores affecting an estimated 80% of women in the third trimester.
Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD).
Iodine deficiency impairs intelligence, physical and mental growth, and development. Goiter-- enlargement of the thyroid gland--reflects significant iodine deficiency in a population. The 1987 national prevalence survey revealed the goiter rate to be 15%, with regional rates ranging from 10% to 93%. The most severely affected areas were Mountain Province (93%), Bukidnon (71%), Oriental Mindoro (56%), and Abra (41%). Cretinism has been reported in the central mountainous area of Luzon. According to the survey, one in every 10 pregnant or lactating women was iodine deficient. During the 1993 Advocacy Meeting on Ending Hidden Hunger, the Health Secretary estimated that about 40% of the population (or 25 million Filipinos) were living in iodine-deficiency areas.
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