Serum vitamin D, physical activity, and metabolic risk factors in Korean children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of serum vitamin D levels with lifestyle factors, including body fatness and physical activity (PA) parameters, and the clustering of metabolic risk factors in the Korean pediatric population.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, accelerometer-based PA, and body fatness and metabolic syndrome parameters were assessed in a sample of children of Korean descent (N = 310). Correlation and multivariate linear regression were used to explore the relationships among serum vitamin D levels, lifestyle factors, and the clustering of metabolic risk factors in the study sample.

Serum vitamin D levels were negatively associated with body fatness parameters, including body mass index, percent body fat, and waist circumference, but positively associated with accelerometer-based PA including low, moderate, and vigorous levels. In addition, serum vitamin D levels were inversely related to total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, and insulin. A stepwise linear regression model showed that both low serum vitamin D levels and decreased vigorous PA were independent predictors for individual variation in the clustering of metabolic risk factors in this study sample.

The results of this study suggest that an increase in vigorous PA and vitamin D intake should be two major targets of public health inventions against the clustering of metabolic risk factors in the Korean pediatric population.