Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/2440/78711
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Type: | Journal article |
Title: | Low Vitamin B12 levels among newly-arrived refugees from Bhutan, Iran and Afghanistan: a multicentre Australian study |
Author: | Benson, J. Phillips, C. Kay, M. Webber, M. Ratcliff, A. Correa-Velez, I. Lorimer, M. |
Citation: | PLoS One, 2013; 8(2):1-6 |
Publisher: | Public Library of Science |
Issue Date: | 2013 |
ISSN: | 1932-6203 1932-6203 |
Editor: | Wang, G. |
Statement of Responsibility: | Jill Benson, Christine Phillips, Margaret Kay, Murray T. Webber, Alison J. Ratcliff, Ignacio Correa-Velez, Michelle F. Lorimer |
Abstract: | Background: Vitamin B12 deficiency is prevalent in many countries of origin of refugees. Using a threshold of 5% above which a prevalence of low Vitamin B12 is indicative of a population health problem, we hypothesised that Vitamin B12 deficiency exceeds this threshold among newly-arrived refugees resettling in Australia, and is higher among women due to their increased risk of food insecurity. This paper reports Vitamin B12 levels in a large cohort of newly arrived refugees in five Australian states and territories. Methods: In a cross-sectional descriptive study, we collected Vitamin B12, folate and haematological indices on all refugees (n = 916; response rate 94% of eligible population) who had been in Australia for less than one year, and attended one of the collaborating health services between July 2010 and July 2011. Results: 16.5% of participants had Vitamin B12 deficiency (<150 pmol/L). One-third of participants from Iran and Bhutan, and one-quarter of participants from Afghanistan had Vitamin B12 deficiency. Contrary to our hypothesis, low Vitamin B12 levels were more prevalent in males than females. A higher prevalence of low Vitamin B12 was also reported in older age groups in some countries. The sensitivity of macrocytosis in detecting Vitamin B12 deficiency was only 4.6%. Conclusion: Vitamin B12 deficiency is an important population health issue in newly-arrived refugees from many countries. All newly-arrived refugees should be tested for Vitamin B12 deficiency. Ongoing research should investigate causes, treatment, and ways to mitigate food insecurity, and the contribution of such measures to enhancing the health of the refugee communities. |
Keywords: | Humans Anemia Vitamin B 12 Deficiency Vitamin B 12 Erythrocyte Count Adolescent Adult Middle Aged Child Child, Preschool Infant Infant, Newborn Refugees Bhutan Afghanistan Iran Australia Female Male Young Adult |
Description: | Extent: 6p. |
Rights: | © 2013 Benson et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0057998 |
Published version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057998 |
Appears in Collections: | Aurora harvest 4 Rural Clinical School publications |
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hdl_78711.pdf | Published version | 169.29 kB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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