Vitamin D Status for Chinese Children and Adolescents in CNNHS 2016–2017

Abstract

Vitamin D is very important in maintaining children’s bone health because of its regulatory role in calcium and phosphate metabolism. To better understand vitamin D status and related risk factors of children and adolescents in China, this study analyzed the 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25(OH)D) concentration of children and adolescents aged 6–17 years in China and assessed the risk factors of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. We analyzed the data of 25(OH)D concentration collected from the China National Nutrition and Health Survey of Children and Lactating Mothers in 2016–2017 (CNNHS 2016–2017). The age, sex, region type, ethnicities, season, weight and height were recorded, measured by unified questionnaire, equipment and standards. The concentration of 25(OH)D was detected by LC-MS/MS. A total of 64,391 participants from the cross-sectional study of CNNHS in 2016–2017 were included in this study. The median serum 25(OH)D concentration was 17.70 (13.20–22.68) ng/mL, 18.70 (14.10–23.80) ng/mL in boys and 16.60 (12.40–21.40) ng/mL in girls. The total prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was 65.98% when the cut-off was 20 ng/mL, 60.42% for boys and 71.99% for girls. According to the results of logistic regression analysis, girls aged above 12 y, living in midlands and northern regions, in spring and winter seasons and with abdominal obesity will have a significantly increased risk of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency among Chinese children and adolescents. The results showed that vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are very common among children and adolescents aged 6–17 y in China. They should be encouraged to have more effective sunlight exposure, increased intake of vitamin D from food or supplements in their diet, especially for those aged above 12 y, living in the northern or midlands areas, in spring and winter, and abdominally obese.

Evaluation of the deficiency status of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D and associated factors in Southwest China: A hospital‐based retrospective cross‐sectional analysis of a low‐latitude, high‐altitude, multiracial region

“…Increased outdoor activity and underuse of sunscreen by males might partly contribute to this difference. Similarly, an obvious seasonal variation in levels of vitamin D was observed, which is in accordance with that reported by several previous studies in China (Guo et al., 2018; He et al., 2020; Hu et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2022) and studies in other countries (Ganie et al., 2022; Smirnova et al., 2022; Van Schoor & Lips, 2017). Vitamin D levels and sufficiency rates were higher in summer and autumn than in spring and winter.…”

“…Considering age, the 37.47% sufficiency rate in individuals aged 0–6 years is slightly lower than that in individuals of Guangdong Province (50.30%, >30 ng/mL) (Guo et al., 2018). For children and adolescents aged 7–18 years, the present study showed a sufficiency rate of 7.96% (>30 ng/mL) and 43.02% (>20 ng/mL) (results not shown in the study), which is similar to the rate of 34.02% reported for all of China and 43.41% reported for southern China (>20 ng/mL) (Hu et al., 2022). Some of this difference might be explained by the different vitamin D measurement methods used, such as the DiaSorin CIA method and liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) as the former was used in the present study and the latter was used in the study by (Hu et al., 2022).…”

“…For children and adolescents aged 7–18 years, the present study showed a sufficiency rate of 7.96% (>30 ng/mL) and 43.02% (>20 ng/mL) (results not shown in the study), which is similar to the rate of 34.02% reported for all of China and 43.41% reported for southern China (>20 ng/mL) (Hu et al., 2022). Some of this difference might be explained by the different vitamin D measurement methods used, such as the DiaSorin CIA method and liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) as the former was used in the present study and the latter was used in the study by (Hu et al., 2022). However, an early report evaluated the correlation between the DiaSorin CIA and LC–MS/MS methods and revealed a good association (r 2 = 0.90, average bias = 1.61 nmol/L) under the vitamin D external quality assessment scheme (DEQAS) (van den Ouweland et al., 2010).…”

Association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D with bone health measured by calcaneal quantitative ultrasound: a large cross-sectional analysis in children and adolescents

“…6 Data from various regions, including the US, Europe, and China, indicate a worrisome rate of vitamin D deficiency in this population, with reported rates ranging from 4% to 40%. [7][8][9][10] With evolving lifestyles resulting in reduced time on sunlight exposure and outdoor activities, there is a growing concern regarding the escalation of vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents.…”

Vitamin D and suicidality: a Chinese early adolescent cohort and Mendelian randomization study

“…Previous studies have reported that the incidence of the first onset of suicidality peaks during early adolescence (van Vuuren et al, 2021) and increases with age. Meanwhile, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency tends to increase rapidly from childhood to early adolescence (Hu et al, 2022a) due to increased academic burden and decreased outdoor activities. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the causal effect of vitamin D on suicidality in early adolescence, which will provide new insights for implementing a feasible programme for suicide prevention and intervention.…”