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High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in school age children in Tehran, 2008: a red alert
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N Khalaji   , S Asadzadeh , TR Neyestani * , M Hajifaraji , N Omidvar , N Shariatzadeh , A Kalayi , B Nikooyeh , M Mohammadi |
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Abstract: (7959 Views) |
| Background and Objective: To assess vitamin D status of 9-12 years old primary school children in Tehran during fall and winter 2007-8. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study Setting: Primary schools of Tehran city, Iran.
Materials and Methods: A total of 1111 9-12 years old children (573 boys and 538 girls) from 60 primary schools were enrolled in the study. Weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and serum levels of calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, 25(OH)D, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), osteocalcin (OST), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) were assessed for all the participants. Dietary calcium intake was also evaluated using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (qFFQ) for a sub-sample of the study population (n=503). Vitamin D sufficiency was defined based on serum levels of 25(OH)D as either ≥ 37nmol/L (criterion 1) or ≥ 50 nmol/L (criterion 2).
Results: Daily intake of calcium did not differ significantly between boys and girls (929.6± 436.7 mg and 909.5±465.5 mg, respectively). However, based on the first criterion, some 86% of the children had vitamin D deficiency with 38.3% of severe deficiency (25(OH)D < 12.5 nmol/L). By using the second criterion, prevalence of vitamin D deficiency rose to 91.7%. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was higher in girls than in boys by either criterion. Serum levels of 25(OH)D inversely correlated with iPTH (r= -0.154, p<0.001) and BMI (r= -0.092, p=0.002) but directly correlated with duration of sun exposure (r= 0.115, p<0.001).
Conclusion: The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among school children (especially girls) warrants immediate interventions for proper nutritional support.
Keywords: Vitamin D, School age children, Prevalence |
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| Keywords: Vitamin D, School age children, Prevalence |
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Full-Text [PDF 214 kb]
(2221 Downloads)
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Article type: Research |
Subject:
nutrition
Received: 2013/03/4 | Accepted: 2013/11/19 | Published: 2013/11/19
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