Prevalence and Predictors of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Children: A Great Britain Population Based Study (original) (raw)

Vitamin D Deficiency in School-Age Children Is Associated with Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Factors

Journal of Nutrition, 2015

Background: There is concern about a reemergence of vitamin D deficiency in children in developed countries. Objectives: The aims of this study were to describe vitamin D status in the Generation R study, a large multiethnic cohort of 6-y-old children in The Netherlands, and to examine sociodemographic, lifestyle, and dietary determinants of vitamin D deficiency. Methods: We measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in 4167 children aged 6 y and defined deficiency following recommended cutoffs. We examined the associations between subject characteristics and vitamin D deficiency with the use of multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results: Serum 25(OH)D concentrations ranged from 4 to 211 nmol/L (median 64 nmol/L), with 6.2% of the children having severely deficient (<25 nmol/L), 23.6% deficient (25 to <50 nmol/L), 36.5% sufficient (50 to <75 nmol/L), and 33.7% optimal (≥75 nmol/L) 25(OH)D concentrations. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D <50 nmol/L] was higher in winter (51.3%) than in summer (10.3%); and higher in African, Asian, Turkish, and Moroccan children (54.5%) than in those with a Dutch or other Western ethnic background (17.6%). In multivariable models, several factors were associated with vitamin D deficiency, including household income (OR 1.74; 95% CI: 1.34, 2.27 for low vs. high income), child age (OR 1.39; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.62 per year), child television watching (OR 1.32; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.64 for ≥2 vs. <2 h/d), and playing outside (OR 0.71; 95% CI: 0.57, 0.89 for ≥1 vs. <1 h/d). In a subgroup with dietary data (n = 1915), vitamin D deficiency was associated with a lower diet quality, but not with vitamin D intake or supplement use in early childhood. Conclusions: Suboptimal vitamin D status is common among 6-y-old children in The Netherlands, especially among non-Western children and in winter and spring. Important modifiable factors associated with vitamin D deficiency were overall diet quality, sedentary behavior, and playing outside.

Vitamin D deficiency in children and adolescents; an international challenge

2014

Low vitamin D level is an important international public health problem. Vitamin D deficiency and its consequences among children and adolescents could indeed be considered as one of the most important public health problems. In fact, low vitamin D levels were reported in both children and adolescents. Several reasons could be taken into account in this regard such as the possibility of the reduced intake or synthesis of vitamin D (due to having a vitamin D deficient mother or a dark skin color), abnormal intestinal function or malabsorption (in small-bowel disorders), or reduced synthesis or increased degradation of vitamin D (in chronic liver or renal disease). More importantly, many countries in developing world, are experiencing a substantial percentage of adolescent and youth population with their own health related problems which vitamin D deficiency could affect on their health. The association between obesity and overweighting and vitamin D deficiency has been reported by ma...

Factors Associated with Vitamin D Deficiency in European Adolescents: The HELENA Study

Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 2013

Adolescence is a critical life-stage period characterised by rapid growth and development. Low circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations have been negatively associated with obesity and healthy lifestyle habits (1, 2). We have previously reported high prevalence (up to 80%) of hypovitaminosis D (,75 nmol/L) in European adolescents participating in the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) study (3). The complexity of vitamin D metabolism poses difficulties in the identification and determination of factors related to vitamin D insufficiency. Its status is largely determined by environmen-

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency among children and adolescents

Journal of Chitwan Medical College, 2017

Background: Vitamin D is an essential prohormone for the normal skeletal and extraskeletal health. Vitamin D deficiency/ insufficiency is an unrecognized epidemic among children and adults worldwide. There are growing data from studies of young children and adolescents in other countries, but a limited information are available regarding the prevalence of this nutritional deficiency/insufficiency among the Nepalese children and adolescents. Thus this study was aimed to find out the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency among children and adolescents, who has attended in Chitwan Medical College (CMC). Methods: This was a retrospective hospital based study in children between 2 months and 19 years of age, conducted in CMC from April 2015 to December 2016. Results: Among 108 total studied, overall 74.1% (80) patients had 25(OH) D levels lower than 30 ng/ml with 27.8% having severe deficiency (< 10 ng/ml), 28.7% deficiency (10-19 ng/ml) and 17.6% insufficiency (20-29 ng/ml) category. The prevalence was found higher in females (95.2%), though the difference in prevalence between sexes was not statistically significant (P-value 0.243). Conclusion: Our study concluded that a high prevalence of low Vitamin D status (deficiency/insufficiency) found among the paediatric population (all paediatric age groups) indicates a need for further national level study to find out the actual prevalence of this nutritional deficiency, as well as the need for vitamin D supplementation to all children and adolescents.

Vitamin D status among the juvenile population: A retrospective study

The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology, 2017

Vitamin D deficiency is a clinical problem and recently we have shown that 82.5% of our entire study cohort had inadequate serum 25(OH)D levels. In this study, we analysed serum 25(OH)D levels of juvenile patients admitted to the Burjeel Hospital of VPS Health care in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from October 2012 to September 2014. Out of a total of 7883 juvenile patients considered in this study, almost 58.1% of females and 43.3% of males in the age group of 1-18 years were found to have low serum 25(OH)D levels (<50nmol/L). According to the coefficient of variation, females had significantly higher variability among juveniles (63.8%) than males (49.9%). Among the juveniles group of patients, age appears to be an important determining factor for defining vitamin D deficiency.The risk of deficiency (<30nmol/L) was found to be present in 31.4% of patients in the age group of 10-12 years, followed by 50.4% of patients in the age group of 13-15 years and 52.9% of patien...

Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency from childhood to adulthood: Insights from a sunny country World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics

Vitamin D is known to be a key regulator of bone metabolism and is associated with muscle strength. Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent worldwide. In adults, vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in numerous health conditions including osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. Considerable changes have occurred in lifestyles and childhood activities in the past years. Studies have shown that the children population is at high risks of vitamin D deficiency. The objective of this study was to learn about the extent of vitamin D deficiency in children worldwide and especially in sunny country like Israel. In this article we reviewed the extent and severity of vitamin D deficiency worldwide and especially in Israel, through a very comprehensive review of previous reports and research studies done during the last years. We found reports on vitamin D deficiency in children, which was associated with metabolic syndromes and obesity. It was more prevalent in children who spend less time on outdoor activities, in obese children, and in cases when there was imbalance between nutritional intakes and requirements. Vitamin D deficiency is common even in children living in sunny places like Israel. Health professionals should be aware of the fact that although vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in the elderly population, it is also common in the children, and can be associated with different illnesses. We encourage supplementation of vitamin D to special populations (pregnant and lactating women, infants, and high risk groups). We also encourage implementation of international food fortification programs. Core tip: Vitamin D is known to be a key regulator of bone metabolism and muscle strength. Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent worldwide. In this article we emphasize that vitamin D status may be also related to a number of non-skeletal diseases, including cardiovascular events, cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. Obesity has also been recently associated with vitamin D insufficiency. We demonstrate that the pediatric population is also at high risks of vitamin D deficiency. Studies that investigated the status of vitamin D deficiency in Israel, which is a known multi-cultural sunny country, revealed a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. Haimi M, Kremer R. Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency from childhood to adulthood: Insights from a sunny country. World J Clin Pediatr 2017; 6(1): 1-9 Available from:

Determinants of vitamin D status in young children: results from the Belgian arm of the IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants) Study

Public Health Nutrition, 2012

Objective: To describe the vitamin D status of Belgian children and examine the influence of non-nutritional determinants, in particular of anthropometric variables. Design: Cross-sectional data of Belgian participants of the EU 6th Framework Programme IDEFICS (Identification and Prevention of Dietary-and Lifestyle-Induced Health Effects in Children and Infants) Study. Setting: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured using RIA. Vitamin D status was categorized as deficient (,25 nmol/l), insufficient (25-50 nmol/l), sufficient (50-75 nmol/l) and optimal ($75 nmol/l). Anthropometric measurements included height, weight, waist and hip circumferences and triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses. Subjects: Children (n 357) aged 4-11 years. Results: Serum 25(OH)D ranged from 13?6 to 123?5 nmol/l (mean 47?2 (SD 14?6) nmol/l); with 5 % deficient, 53 % insufficient, 40 % sufficient and 2 % optimal. No significant differences were found by age and gender. Significant differences in 25(OH)D were observed for month of sampling (P , 0?001), number of hours playing outside per week (r 5 0?140), weight (r 5 20?121), triceps (r 5 20?112) and subscapular (r 5 20?119) skinfold thickness, sum of two skinfold thicknesses (r 5 20?125) and waist circumference (r 5 20?108). Linear regression analysis of 25(OH)D adjusted for age, month of sampling and hours playing outside per week suggested that (i) weight, (ii) BMI Z-score, (iii) waist circumference and (iv) triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness (as well as the sum of both) independently influenced 25(OH)D. Conclusions: The majority of Belgian children had a suboptimal vitamin D status, with more than half having an insufficient status in winter and spring. Month of the year, weekly number of hours playing outside and body composition -both central and abdominal obesity -were identified as important determinants of vitamin D status in Belgian children.

Vitamin D deficiency and lifestyle risk factors in a Norwegian adolescent population

Scandinavian journal of public health, 2014

The aim was to study vitamin D status in a healthy adolescent Norwegian population at 69°N. The data presented come from The Tromsø Study: Fit Futures, during the school year 2010/2011 (not including the summer months), where 1,038 (92% of those invited) participated. Physical examinations, questionnaires and blood samples were collected, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) were analyzed using LC-MS/MS. RESULTS are presented from 475 boys and 415 girls (15-18 years old) with available blood samples. A total of 60.2% had vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (serum 25(OH)D <50 nmol/l), 16.5% were deficient (<25 nmol/l) and 1.6% had severe vitamin D deficiency (<12.5 nmol/l). Only 12.4% had levels >75 nmol/l. A significant gender difference with a mean (SD) serum 25(OH)D level of 40.5 (20.5) nmol/l in boys and 54.2 (23.2) nmol/l in girls (p <0.01) was present. Furthermore, 51.3% of girls had levels >50 nmol/l in comparison to 29.7% of boys (p <0.01). There was...

Vitamin D Deficiency in Children and Adolescents

Journal of Clinical Research in Pediatric Endocrinology, 2012

Ori gi nal Ar tic le 2 5 In tro duc ti on Vitamin D deficiency is an important public health problem in both developed and developing countries, with a reported worldwide prevalence of 30-80% in children and adults (1,2,3). The role of vitamin D in bone mineralization is well-documented. However, only recently, numerous studies have reported a link between vitamin D deficiency and several chronic disorders such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), multiple sclerosis (MS), cardiovascular disease (CVD) and several malignancies (4,5,6,7,8). These recent findings have led to greater emphasis on treatment of vitamin D deficiency and/or vitamin D supplementation. Prevalence studies on vitamin D deficiency and/or insufficiency in the Turkish population, especially among prepubertal children over 3 years of age, are relatively scarce (9). The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of deficiency and insufficiency of vitamin D in a sample of Turkish children and adolescents and to investigate the factors associated with low vitamin D status. Methods This study was undertaken by the Fatih University Pediatrics Department and conducted in the University hospital, situated in Ankara, Turkey. We retrospectively reviewed the records of a total of 440 children and adolescents aged between 0 and 16 years who had presented to the outpatient clinic between January 2008 and January 2010. All patients were subjected to a careful physical examination. Weights were measured using a calibrated digital scale. Height measurements were done in ABS TRACT Ob jec ti ve: Vitamin D deficiency is an important health problem in both developed and developing countries. Recent reports on the extraskeletal effects of vitamin D have led to increased interest in prevalence studies on states of deficiency/insufficiency of vitamin D. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in children and adolescents residing in Ankara, Turkey and to investigate the factors associated with low vitamin D status. Methods: A total of 440 children and adolescents aged between 0 and 16 years were enrolled in this study. The subjects were divided into three groups according to their vitamin D status (deficiency ≤15 ng/mL; insufficiency: 15-20 ng/mL; sufficiency ≥20 ng/mL) and also according to their age (preschool<5 years; middle childhood: 5-10 years; adolescence: 11-16 years). Results: Overall, 40% of the subjects were found to have 25 hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels of less than 20 ng/mL. The levels indicated a deficiency state in 110 subjects (25%) and insufficiency-in 66 (15%). The rate of vitamin D deficiency was higher in girls, regardless of age. 25(OH)D levels correlated negatively with age (r=-0.48, p<0.001), body mass index (BMI) (r=-0.20, p=0.001) and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level (r=-0.31, p=0.001). A positive correlation was observed between 25(OH)D and serum ferritin levels (r=0.15, p=0.004). Conclusions: The high frequency of vitamin D deficiency in childhood (especially among adolescent girls) indicates a need for supplementation and nutritional support.