title: Vitamin D insufficiency among children and adolescents living in Tehran, Iran.
abstract: Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and skeletal growth. Vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) is a prevalent health problem in children. A study was performed to determine the prevalence of VDI in healthy children living in Tehran, Iran. In a cross-sectional study, 963 students (424 boys and 539 girls) aged 7-18 years were selected by random sampling. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), calcium, alkaline phosphatase and phosphorus were measured. VDI was defined as serum 25-OHD <20 ng/ml. Prevalence of VDI was 53.6% in girls and 11.3% in boys. VDI in female students was about five times more common than males (p < 0.000001). VDI in children and adolescent girls is a health problem not only for these age-groups but also for the next generation to come. Encouraging girls to have more sun exposure, fortification of foods and prescription of supplemental vitamin D are recommended.
authors.affiliation: Growth and Development Research Center, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 62 Gharib St, Tehran 14155-6386, Iran. rabania@sina.tums.ac.ir
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabbani
authors.forename: Seyed-Moayed
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Alavian
authors.forename: Mohammad Esmaeil
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Motlagh
authors.forename: Mohammad T H
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ashtiani
authors.forename: Gelayol
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ardalan
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salavati
authors.forename: Bahareh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rabbani
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rabbani
authors.forename: Sedigheh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shams
authors.forename: Nima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parvaneh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000097:blood*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; D010758:Phosphorus; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium