Vitamin D deficiency rickets in children: prevalence and need for community education

Nutritional rickets caused by a deficiency in vitamin D can be a crippling disease and is still prevalent today. Many feel that the vitamin D supplementation present in dairy products prevents any risk of developing vitamin D deficiency rickets. However, a combination of factors such as pigmented skin, inadequate sunlight, breastfeeding past 6 months with no supplementation, and insufficient calcium intake by the nursing mother and her baby often contribute to rickets diagnosed in children. Educating the medical community and those families at risk is critical to eradicate this preventable disease. Steps can be taken using stages of the Organizational Change Theory to involve school nurses, community health centers, and pediatricians in identifying these high-risk children. With prompt diagnosis and treatment, all symptoms can abate, with healthy bone growth resulting.