Study of Vitamin-D Deficiency among Pregnant Women in their First Trimester Visiting a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Vitamin-D deficient pregnant women are more likely to have pregnancy complications like pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, diabetes, preterm birth, etc. Associated factors include ethnicity, skin coverall, use of sun protection, overweight, vitamin-D intake, and smoking. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of Vitamin-D deficiency among pregnant women in a tertiary level hospital. Methods: This study descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital from September 15th, 2020 to November 15th, 2020 where the pregnant women visiting for an antenatal checkup in the first trimester were enrolled. Ethical clearance was taken from the Institutional Review Committee of Kathmandu Medical College (reference no. 1808202003). A convenience sampling method was used. All the data were entered in the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences version 20.0 and analyzed. Point estimate at 90% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage for binary data. Results: Among a total of 47 cases, vitamin-D deficiency was seen in 21 (44.6%) (32.67-56.52 at 90% Confidence Interval). Conclusions: The prevalence of vitamin-D deficiency was similar to other studies done in similar settings.

Keywords

• first trimester; pregnancy; prevalence; Vitamin-D deficiency.