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Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among healthy adolescents
Catherine M Gordon1, Kerrin C DePeter, Henry A Feldman
1Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass 02115, USA. catherine.gordon@childrens.harvard.edu
Background:
Although vitamin D deficiency has been documented as a frequent problem in studies of young adults, elderly persons, and children in other countries, there are limited data on the prevalence of this nutritional deficiency among healthy US teenagers.
Objective:
To determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in healthy adolescents presenting for primary care.
Design:
A cross-sectional clinic-based sample.
Setting:
An urban hospital in Boston.
Participants:
Three hundred seven adolescents recruited at an annual physical examination to undergo a blood test and nutritional and activity assessments.
Main Outcome Measures:
Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and parathyroid hormone, anthropometric data, nutritional intake, and weekly physical activity and lifestyle variables that were potential risk factors for hypovitaminosis D.
Results:
Seventy-four patients (24.1%) were vitamin D deficient (serum 25OHD level,
Conclusions:
Vitamin D deficiency was present in many US adolescents in this urban clinic-based sample. The prevalence was highest in African American teenagers and during winter, although the problem seems to be common across sex, season, and ethnicity.
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