Risk factors for nightblindness among women of childbearing age in Cambodia

Objective: To characterize risk factors for nightblindness among nonpregnant women of childbearing age, a group recently recognized to be at high risk of vitamin A deficiency in some developing countries. Design: Case-control study. Setting: The study included >15000 households in National Micronutrient Survey of Cambodia conducted in 2000. Subjects: The prevalence of nightblindness among 13 358 nonpregnant women was 2.0%. A total of 328 nonpregnant women with nightblindness were matched by province with 1009 nonpregnant women without nightblindness. Methods: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) as estimates of the relative risk of factors associated with nightblindness. Results: In a final model, materials in the wall of the house (OR 1.4, 95% confidence interval (Cl) 0.9-2.0), land ownership 3 (OR 1.5, 95% Cl 1.0-2.1), diarrhea within the last 2 weeks (OR 1.9, 95% Cl 1.3-2.8), maternal body mass index 3, malnutrition, and diarrhea have a higher risk of nightblindness. Sponsorship: United States Agency for International Development (442-G-00-95-00515-00).