Volunteers sought for zinc study

The University of Queensland's Nutrition Program is seeking volunteers from Brisbane child care centres for Australia's first known study of zinc nutrition in children aged three to five years.

Nutrition Program director Dr Geoffrey Marks and PhD student Sukanta Saha said previous national dietary surveys including ACHPER (the Australian Council on Health, Physical Education and Recreation) indicated that Australian children were deficient in zinc intake, so many children were likely to be deficient in zinc.

The 1995 National Nutrition Survey had reported that zinc intake in adolescent girls was low.

'Recent evidence suggests that children with even mild zinc deficiency suffer more infectious diseases, notably coughs, colds, and sore throats,' Mr Saha said.

'Children's appetites are reduced, growth is slower, and school performance may be diminished.

'Zinc deficiency has also been associated with behavioural change.'

The researchers said the study would assess not just dietary intake but biochemical and other parameters to indicate what was happening in this age group, and establish national data, with policy implications. The findings would also provide researchers with Australian comparative data to similar studies in the USA, Canada, and Japan.

The study has two phases. In the first, qualified staff at hospitals and clinics would assess children's growth and dietary intake, test hair, blood, and saliva, and collect socio-economic data.

The second would involve further growth, hair, blood and saliva assessments in one fifth of the children at the end of the study, in conjunction with zinc supplements given to children, if selected.

They said the supplement was a daily dose of about five ml of syrup containing 15 ml zinc for three to four months, a safe level according to WHO (the United Nations' World Health Organisation) recommendations.

Two hundred and fifty children from Brisbane child care centres were needed for the project. Thirty child care centres had agreed to participate, with parents of children in the respective age groups at the child care centres informed of the study.

'We would like to encourage parents to have their children participate in this important study and to return the forms to their child care centres,' Mr Saha said.

Media: For further information, contact Mr Saha, telephone 3365 5187.