Vitamin D Status and Supplementation in Employer-Sponsored Wellness Program

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Public Health
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Vitamin D deficiency and suboptimal levels are prevalent health concerns.
• Employer-sponsored wellness programs offer a platform to address population health issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate how individuals in workplace wellness programs respond to information about their vitamin D status.
• To identify opportunities for improving health behaviors related to vitamin D supplementation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a self-reported health risk assessment questionnaire to track vitamin D supplementation.
• Analyzed laboratory vitamin D testing results and questionnaire data from 50,209 participants across 12 wellness programs (2014-2015).

Main Results:

• 29% of participants had deficient and 37% had suboptimal vitamin D levels.
• A significant portion of participants took inappropriate actions, such as supplementing when levels were optimal or discontinuing when deficient.
• 75% of participants with deficient or suboptimal vitamin D who were not supplementing in 2014 remained uns u pplemented in 2015.

Conclusions:

• Prevalence of deficient and suboptimal vitamin D remains high in the working-age population.
• Participants often do not align their actions with their vitamin D test results.
• Employer wellness programs should enhance educational strategies to promote appropriate vitamin D management.