Vitamin D status of 6- to 7-year-old children living in Isfahan, Iran.
BACKGROUND
Vitamin D is essential for the maintenance of good health, and vitamin D deficiency has been reported from many countries, including those with a lot of sunshine. This study was conducted to evaluate the vitamin D status in healthy 6- to 7-year-old children in Isfahan, Iran.


METHODS
Five hundred and thirteen healthy children were enrolled. Serum PTH and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) were measured. Dietary vitamin D intake, duration of daily sunlight exposure, and percentage of exposed body surface area were determined. 25-OHD levels < 20 ng/mL and < 10 ng/mL were defined as mild and severe vitamin D deficiency, respectively. The ROC curve was utilized to obtain a local cut-off point of vitamin D deficiency.


RESULTS
25-OHD was < 20 ng/mL in 3% and < 33 ng/mL (local cut-off point of vitamin D deficiency) in 26% of subjects. Duration of sunlight exposure and daily intake of vitamin D had significant effects on serum level of vitamin D.


CONCLUSIONS
A high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Isfahan children was observed in this study. Improvements in duration of sunlight exposure and daily intake of vitamin D can prevent vitamin D deficiency in these children.
Ardestani
Pooneh Memar
PM
Isfahan Endocrine and Metabolism Research Centre, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Salek
Mehdi
M
Keshteli
Ammar Hassanzadeh
AH
Nejadnik
Hossein
H
Amini
Masoud
M
Hosseini
Seyyed Mehdi
SM
Rafati
Homayoun
H
Kelishadi
Roya
R
Hashemipour
Mahin
M
D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012372:ROC Curve; D012016:Reference Values; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
D014807:Vitamin D