Objective: To determine the prevalence of subclinical vitamin A deficiency (vitamin A inadequacy) in Indonesian pregnant women as assessed by the modified relative dose response test.
Design: Cross-sectional study of the vitamin A statuses of pregnant (second trimester) women randomly selected from ten different villages.
Setting: West Java, Indonesia.
Subjects: A group of 144 pregnant women recruited from the local health posts.
Interventions: Modified relative dose response (MRDR) test, serum retinol determination and gynecological examinations.
Results: The mean (s.d.) MRDR ratio was 0.039 +/- 0.031. Of the women tested, the vitamin A status of 17% was provisionally classified as being marginal (subclinically deficient) (MRDR ratio > or = 0.060), of 35% as being uncertain (MRDR ratio between 0.030 and 0.060) and of 48% as being satisfactory (MRDR ratio < or = 0.030).
Conclusion: If the vitamin A statuses of the 'uncertain' group are also deemed to be unsatisfactory, approximately half of the pregnant Indonesian women tested could benefit from an increased intake of vitamin A.