Work

Vitamin D nutritional status and the influencing factors among children and adolescents

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective To assess the nutritional status of vitamin D and to analyze the influencing factors of vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents. Methods Data from 1,827 children and adolescents aged 6–17 years from the nutrition and health surveillance of Zhejiang province, China, were analyzed. The serum concentration of 25-(OH)D were measured using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were calculated. Ordinal regression were used to identify the influencing factors of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. Results The mean 25-(OH)D concentration was 20.84 ± 6.34 μg/L. Among the participants, 37.4% had vitamin D insufficiency (25-(OH)D <20 μg/L) and 7.8% had vitamin D deficiency (25-(OH)D <12 μg/L). Age group (Wald c2 = 5.921, p = 0.015), sex (Wald c2 = 6.206, p = 0.013), overweight/obesity (Wald c2 = 3.894, p = 0.048), and outdoor activity time (Wald c2 = 4.113, p = 0.043) were the influencing factors of children and adolescents with insufficiency/deficiency vitamin D status. Conclusions Our study assessed the nutritional status of vitamin D and analyzed the influencing factors of vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents in the eastern coastal areas of China. The results indicated a significant prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency. Key influencing factors included age group, sex, overweight/obesity, and outdoor activity time. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve vitamin D levels in children and adolescents. Specifically, promoting adequate outdoor activity and addressing overweight/obesity could be effective strategies to enhance vitamin D status in this population.

Source: Frontiers in Public Health

DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1553077