title: Relationship of total 25-OH vitamin D concentrations to Indices of Multiple Deprivation: geoanalysis of laboratory results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vitamin D deficiency appears to be widespread and associated with ethnicity and economic status. Geography is the key to virtually all national statistics. It provides a structure for collecting, processing, storing and aggregating data. Linking geographic data to laboratory data allows analysis of the association of laboratory data with economic indicators.
  
  
  METHODS
  The laboratory information system was searched to create a data-set of total 25-OH vitamin D concentrations, which was then linked to economic (Indices of Multiple Deprivation [IMD]) and ethnicity data using postcodes geocoded to Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 12422 25-OH vitamin D requests were received during the time period searched. A total of 12167 of these had associated postcodes that would allow georeferencing to LSOAs. The median total 25-OH vitamin D was 24.5 nmol/L (5.3-99.0; 2.5-97.5th percentile). Statistically significant (Spearman rank) correlations were found between median 25-OH vitamin D (nmol/L) and percentage of non-White population and percentage of non-White population and IMD. No statistically significant correlation between median 25-OH vitamin D concentration and IMD was found; however, a statistically significant correlation between percentage of population classified as severely deficient and IMD was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In summary, vitamin D deficiency is widespread and is related to ethnicity; it does not appear to be related to economic status except in cases of severe vitamin D deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham B9 5SS, UK. craig.webster@heartofengland.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Webster
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D044383:Black People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D062306:Geography, Medical; D006801:Humans; D012923:Social Class; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology*; D044465:White People
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D