International Development Grant
Improving Methods to Assess Vitamin A Deficiency
Project Number: CA-3-M013620001
Status: Terminating
Country/Region:
Maximum Contribution: $1,260,600.00
Start Date: March 22, 2012
End Date: May 30, 2016
Duration: 4.2 years
Project Description
This project with Johns Hopkins University is to complete the last stage of testing for an innovative field-friendly cost-effective assessment method to detect vitamin a deficiency (VAD). The impacts of proving the validity of this device will have global implications through the ability to rapidly assess VAD in the field so as to monitor the impact of interventions and to target interventions to those most in need.
Expected Results
The expected intermediate outcomes for this project include: increased use of the Portable Field Dark Adaptometer (PDFA) in a variety of population settings including surveys clinical centres and monitoring and evaluation programs designed to prevent Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD); the PFDA system is adopted on a national scale to assess population Vitamin A status in Zambia and Bangladesh and implemented by local and national health programs.
Progress & Results Achieved
Results achieved as of June 2015 include: (1) field testing of the Portable Field Dark Adaptometer (PFDA) performed on 364 Bangladeshi women in the third trimester of pregnancy and 780 Zambian children aged 4-8 years; (2) the success rate of using the PFDA to assess for vitamin A deficiency rose to 95% from a baseline success rate of 85% indicating improved use of the technology through adaptive field trials; (3) 90% of pupillary measurements were recorded without missing any of the nine measurements (due to participant compliance and/or flaws in implementation) up from 80% at baseline. This suggests the PFDA has improved its success in conducting complete assessments for vitamin A deficiency and that most trials were eligible for research purposes; (4) successful clinical results indicating the PFDA is a sensitive and reliable device to capture the known dose-response relationship between light intensity and pupillary reaction; and (5) overall the PFDA has seen great improvements from baseline and results suggest the technology will be successful as a field tool to assess those considered to be at risk for night blindness and vitamin A deficiency.
Key Information
Executing Agency:
Johns Hopkins University
Reporting Organization:
Global Affairs Canada
Program:
YFMInternaAssistPartnershp&Programing Br
Last Modified:
September 19, 2025
Development Classifications
DAC Sector:
Aid Type: Project-type interventions
Collaboration: Bilateral
Finance Type: Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Selection Mechanism:
Pre-APP