Determining Vitamin D Levels in Police Staff Referred to Behdad Medical Centers in Tehran, Iran during 2020

Abstract

Aims: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble steroid hormone that helps maintain healthy bones by absorbing calcium and phosphorus. This study aimed to determine the serum level of vitamin D among police staff and use the evaluated results to decide on the staff health and the effectiveness of organizational control and prevention programs. Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed for 12 months from the start of the year 1399 in Tehran in the population of police staff referred to Medical Centers of police. With ethical and scientific issues being considered, blood samples were taken, and serum levels of vitamin D were measured using immunological kits by the ELISA method. Vitamin values less than 10 ng/ml were considered a severe deficiency, 11-30 were insufficient, and more than 30 were sufficient. Data were analyzed by the SPSS software. Findings: From a total of 442 participants, 80% had severe deficiency or insufficient vitamin D levels (18.9% and 61.1%, respectively), and only 20% had adequate vitamin D levels. The largest deficit was observed among the 21- to 30-year-old age group. A significant difference was seen between age groups (P=0.001). In comparing different job types, administrative job positions had the highest frequency of severe deficiency and insufficient amounts of vitamin D, and the operational job positions had the lowest frequency. This difference was statistically significant (P =0.02). Conclusion: The results show that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is high among police officers in Tehran (80%), which requires better planning, and appropriate and effective decision-making by the organization's health managers to improve employees’ health.

Keywords

• vitamin d
• police
• skeletal disease
• calcium