Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in uninsured women

Vitamin D deficiency, an important risk factor for osteoporosis and other chronic medical conditions, is epidemic in the United States. Uninsured women may be at an even higher risk for vitamin D deficiency than others owing to low intake of dietary and supplemental vitamin D and limited sun exposure.

Our goal was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this vulnerable population.

We enrolled 145 uninsured women at a County Free Medical Clinic in urban Michigan. Questionnaires were used to obtain information about demographics, medical history, vitamin supplementation, sunlight exposure, and dietary vitamin D intake.

The 96 women who were tested for vitamin D status ranged in age from 21 to 65 years (mean 48 +/- 11), and 67% were vitamin D deficient as indicated by a 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D)] level <50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL). Non-Caucasians were 3 times more likely than Caucasians to be vitamin D deficient (P = .049). Mean dietary vitamin D intake was low (125 +/- 109 IU/d) and only 24% of the participants used any supplemental vitamin D. Participants with total vitamin D intake <400 IU/day from diet and supplements were 10 times more likely to be vitamin D deficient than others (P < .001).

These results demonstrate a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in an uninsured, medically underserved female population. Uninsured women should be strongly encouraged to increase their vitamin D intake.