Findings of major study on Vitamin A released

Accra, April 27, GNA - A study conducted in Kintampo by a team of experts has shown beyond doubt that taking Vitamin A does not reduce the risk of death in pregnancy or childbirth. The study has answered a very important question for the survival of women and their babies in Ghana and in many other developing countries, Dr Seth Owusu Agyei, Director of the Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) in the Brong-Ahafo Region said.

The ObaapaVitamin A study tested whether or not weekly capsules of Vitamin A given to women of childbearing age prevented women from dying in pregnancy and childbirth.

These were contained in a statement signed by the Director of the KHRC and made available to the Ghana News Agency on Monday. Although it is well-known that Vitamin A supplements are important for the health and survival of children, before this study there was no certainty if this was also true for women.

The statement said the study compared women taking weekly capsules containing Vitamin A with women taking capsules without Vitamin A and this confirmed that there was also no harm from taking Vitamin A. For eight years, the KHRC and its partners - the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - worked with local communities and over 200,000 women in Kintampo, supported primarily by the UK Department for International Development.

The statement said a group of local and international scientists and health experts met last week to discuss the results of the study. "The Director of KHRC - Dr Seth Owusu-Agyei - proudly announced this main finding, and acknowledged the thanks due to the women, communities, local and national leaders, the KHRC fieldworkers and the international funding agencies - who are collectively responsible for the success of the study."

"The years of interaction with the community have cemented strong mutual relations and will facilitate work by the Kintampo Health Research Centre for years to come. Besides the main finding, this study has yielded many other important results that will be shared in the near future, such as accurate measurement of birth and death rates. These will also inform policy and support monitoring of progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals," the statement said. The Chair of the Trial Steering Committee, Dr Moses Adibo, praised the team for their outstanding work and emphasised the significance of the finding for Ghana.

"Research does not just tell us what new things to do, it also tells us what not to do. Had Ghana implemented this policy all over the country to all women without knowing its benefits, we might have spent an estimated $20 million each year to no avail," Dr Adibo said.