Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency during autumn and winter among adults in Henan province

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine the status of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) during the autumn and winter among adults in Henan province and to provide references for reducing adverse health effect of VDD. MethodsUsing multistage cluster random sampling, we conducted a survey among 8 455 urban and rural residents aged 18 years and above in 14 districts/counties of Henan province from October 2018 through February 2019. The participants′ serum 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Complex sampling weighting adjustment was adopted to estimate the prevalence of VDD (PVDD) among the participants. ResultsThe estimated PVDD for all participants was 24.2% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 19.5% – 29.6%); the PVDD for the males was significantly lower than that for the females (16.0% vs. 32.0%, P < 0.05); the age-specific PVDD was highest (29.6%) for the participants aged 18 – 39 years; and the unmarried participants had significantly higher PVDD compared to those married (37.2% vs. 22.2%, P < 0.05). Multivariate log binomial regression analysis showed that in comparison with control groups, the adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) of VDD was significantly higher in following subgroups: females (vs. males: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.56 – 2.68), the unmarried (vs. the married: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01 – 1.64), being employed in industries other than agriculture/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery/aquaculture (vs. being employed in the industries listed above or the unemployed: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.27 – 2.58; vs. the employed/housekeepers: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.05 – 2.30; vs. retirees: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.22 – 2.54), with higher education attainment (vs. primary school and below: 1.33 [95% CI: 0.99 – 1.80] for those with junior high school attainment, 1.44 [95% CI: 1.03 – 2.03] for senior high /technical secondary / technical school, and 1.78 [95% CI: 1.32 – 2.40] for college and above), being surveyed in winter season (vs. in autumn season: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.14 – 1.82 ). ConclusionThe prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is high during the autumn and winter season among adults in Henan province and the prevalence was mainly influenced by gender, marital status, education attainment, occupation, and season.

Keywords

• vitamin d
• deficiency
• prevalence
• adults