Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels among US children aged 1 to 11 years: do children need more vitamin D?
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey analysis of nationally representative data (NHANES 2001-2006)
PubMed 19951983 · doi:10.1542/peds.2008-2041
What was done
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations were analyzed from the 2001-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in a nationally representative sample of US children aged 1 to 11 years. Serum 25(OH)D was determined by radioimmunoassay, and national estimates with 95% confidence intervals were generated using sample weights across predefined cutoffs of <25 nmol/L, <50 nmol/L, and <75 nmol/L.
What was found
The mean serum 25(OH)D level across all children aged 1 to 11 years was 68 nmol/L (95% CI, 66-70). Children aged 6 to 11 years had lower mean levels (66 nmol/L; 95% CI, 64-68) than children aged 1 to 5 years (70 nmol/L; 95% CI, 68-73). National prevalence estimates: - <25 nmol/L: 1% (95% CI, 0.7-1.4) - <50 nmol/L: 18% (95% CI, 16-21) - <75 nmol/L: 69% (95% CI, 65-73) Prevalence of 25(OH)D <75 nmol/L was higher in children aged 6 to 11 years (73%) than ages 1 to 5 years (63%), in females (71%) than males (67%), and in non-Hispanic Black (92%) and Hispanic (80%) children compared with non-Hispanic White children (59%).
Why it matters
This study establishes population-level estimates indicating that suboptimal 25(OH)D levels were prevalent among US children, particularly older children and racial/ethnic minority groups.
Limits
The abstract does not state the total participant sample size (n). As a cross-sectional study, it cannot evaluate longitudinal clinical outcomes or establish causal relationships between 25(OH)D thresholds and health endpoints.
Cited by
- supports Approximately 70% of the United States population has inadequate vitamin D levels.