RETRACTED ARTICLE: Vitamin A deficiency and sleep disturbances related to autism symptoms in children with autism spectrum disorder: a cross-sectional study

Table 2 Comparison of VA levels and core symptoms in ASD children with and without sleep disturbances

Variable	Without sleep disturbances^a (n = 174)	With sleep disturbances^a (n = 682)	P value
VA levels^b
VA levels, mean (SD)	1.04 (0.15)	0.60(0.27)	< 0.001^***
VAN, % (n)	29.89 (52/174)	16.86 (115/682)	< 0.001^***
MVAD, % (n)	70.11 (122/174)	22.29 (152/682)
VAD, % (n)	0 (0/174)	60.85 (415/682)
CARS score, % (n)
Mild to moderate degree (30–36)	54.60 (95/174)	5.43 (37/682)	< 0.001^***
Severe degree (37–60)	45.40 (79/174)	94.57 (645/682)	< 0.001^***
ABC total score, mean (SD)	64.13 (7.77)	99.57 (25.05)	< 0.001^***
SRS total score, mean (SD)	91.55 (15.58)	141.24 (30.06)	< 0.001^***

Abbreviations: ASD Autism spectrum disorder, VA Vitamin A, SD Standard deviation, CARS Childhood Autism Rating Scale, ABC Autism Behavior Checklist, SRS Social Responsiveness Scale, CSHQ Childhood Sleep Habit Questionnaire
^***P < 0.001
^aThe individuals with total CSHQ scores below 41 were classified as without sleep disturbances; those with over 41 were classified as with sleep disturbances [22]
^bSerum retinol concentrations ≥1.05 μmol/L were defined as Vitamin A Normal (VAN); < 1.05 μmol/L and ≥ 0.7 μmol/L were defined as Marginal Vitamin A Deficiency (MVAD); < 0.7 μmol/L were defined as Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) [29]

ISSN: 1471-2431