Validation and Simplification of the Retinol Isotope Dilution Technique in Burkinabe Schoolchildren

Two cross-sectional, repeated-pass, community-based studies will be carried out during the school year. The first study will be conducted from November to December. This period corresponds to the end of the rainy season and the end of the mango season, which is one of the main sources of vitamin A in the Orodara region. The second survey will be carried out 5 to 6 months (April-May of the following year) after data collection for the first study, corresponding to the mango season. The same schoolchildren recruited during the first phase of data collection (5 to 6 months earlier) will be the participants in the second study. The interest of this study is to use nuclear techniques to implement a strategy for the precise and accurate determination of Vitamin A status in order to reinforce existing Vitamin A interventions and policies.