title: Use of vitamin D and other dietary supplements by Finnish children at the age of 2 and 3 years.
abstract: The aims of this study were to investigate the frequency of the use of vitamin D and other dietary supplements by Finnish children at the age of 2 and 3 years, to evaluate daily nutrient intake from supplements, and to investigate the relation between supplement use and various sociodemographic factors. The families of 534 newborn infants were invited to a birth cohort study in 1996-1997. Families of 292 children at the child's age of 2 years and families of 263 children at the age of 3 years completed a three-day food record from which the daily use of dietary supplements was calculated. The frequency of dietary supplement use was 50% among the two-year-olds, and 37% among the three-year-old children. The most commonly used supplements among the two-year-olds were vitamin D or vitamin A + D combination (38%) and fluoride (16%) and among the three-year-olds fluoride (19%) and multivitamins (16%), respectively. Intake of nutrients other than vitamin D or fluoride from supplements was rare among two-year-olds, whereas 16% of the three-year-olds received also vitamin A, C, E, and several group B vitamins. Mean daily intake of vitamin D from supplements was 6.7 micrograms at the age of 2 years and 5.3 micrograms at the age of 3 years, respectively. The level of parental education was positively associated with the child's vitamin D supplementation at the age of 2 years. As the compliance with national recommendations of vitamin D supplementation was low, intensified counseling of the parents is needed at the well-baby clinics in Finland.
authors.affiliation: Tampere School of Public Health, 33014 University of Tampere, Finland. liisa.marjamaki@satshp.fi
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marjamäki
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Räsänen
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Uusitalo
authors.forename: Suvi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahonen
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Veijola
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Knip
authors.forename: Suvi Mirjami
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Virtanen
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015930:Diet Records; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A; D014807:Vitamin D; D005459:Fluorides