Research Shows Children Under Five Should Be Given Vitamins
Children the age of 6 months to 5 years old ought to take vitamin A, C and D supplements, authorities advice says.
Researchers at Wales found only 30 percent of parents and carers said they had ever been given guidance by a health practitioner about giving kids vitamin supplements.
And nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of those asked said they didn't give their children vitamin supplements.
The Department of Health (DoH) urges all children aged six months to five years should be given supplements containing vitamins A, D, and C every day.
This information has been in existence since the early 1990s when the then committee on medical facets of food policy endorsed it.
The DoH also says babies should be given a vitamin D supplement.
'Thought healthful diet was enough.'
The Welsh researchers needed to find out how well known this information was one of carers and parents.
They surveyed adults accompanying children at pediatric out-patient clinics at two hospitals at Swansea.
A total of 101 full of questionnaires designed to test their understanding of the guidelines.
The researchers said the reasons given by parents for not giving their children vitamin supplements.
They were unaware that they should/had not been advised
They believed a healthful diet was sufficient
"We're worried that the majority of carers participating in our survey don't follow advice around vitamin supplementation because of their young kids," the report says.
"Many seem unaware of recommendations, suggesting that caregivers aren't providing them with advice.
"We feel that action needs to be taken to boost carers' awareness and promote a much wider usage of vitamin supplements at the under-fives, together with health professionals adopting a more proactive strategy."
Dr. Bethan McMinn, the paediatric registrar in the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, said the complexity of the guidelines might be a barrier to successful information sharing between parents and professionals.
She stated that while the DoH urges all children aged six months to five years have a daily supplement, the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence has just upgraded its advice.
It now says that all babies from birth to one year ought to take a vitamin D nutritional supplement that is daily - but this doesn't apply to infants having 500ml per day of formula milk.
Dr. McMinn admits her study is small scale but states it might reflect the situation across the united kingdom.
"Our project was conducted in Swansea, Wales so it is difficult to comment on whether our findings reveal the situation across the united kingdom in general.
"However it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case."
Prof Mary Fewtrell, nutrition lead in the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said the Swansea research suggested health care professionals were not routinely sharing the information with parents.
"I suspect in large part this is due to the complicated and conditional nature of the principles confusing and that we would be inclined to see a similar image in other areas of the US.
"Further study is needed to confirm if this is right and, if so, how to best overcome these challenges so that our children can receive the best possible nutrition."
Prof Louis Levy, head of nutrition science in Public Health England, stated: "All children aged six months to five years should take a supplement containing vitamins A, C, and D.
"That is a sensible measure because growing kids may not get enough of these vitamins - particularly those not eating a varied diet."
