Vitamin D status in Sri Lankans living in Sri Lanka and Norway

Meyer, Haakon E; Holvik, Kristin; Lofthus, C. M.; Tennakoon, Sampath

doi:10.1017/s0007114507844138

Cited by 38 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…Other researchers documented that the prevalence of serum 25(OH)D levels of < 25 nmol/l was 9.3 times higher in Sri Lankans living in Norway compared with those in Sri Lanka [21]. Therefore, this data suggest that migration to northern latitudes, where there is lesser sun light, confers increased risk of developing vitamin D deficiency.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Awareness of vitamin D deficiency among at-risk patients

Alemu¹,

Varnam²

2012

BMC Res Notes

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BackgroundVitamin D deficiency is a significant problem for a growing proportion of the UK population. Individuals with dark or covered skin are at particularly high risk due to ethno-cultural, environmental and genetic factors. We assessed the level of awareness of vitamin D deficiency among at-risk patients in order to identify groups most in need of education.FindingsA cross-sectional survey using a piloted questionnaire was conducted among consecutive at-risk patients without a diagnosis of Vitamin D deficiency arriving at a large inner city general practice in the North West of England over a five day period. The survey was completed by 221 patients. The mean age was 35 years. 28% of them (n = 61) had never heard about vitamin D. Older patients (p = 0.003) were less likely to have heard about vitamin D. 54% of participants were unaware of the commonest symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. 34% did not expose their skin other than their face in the last one year, and 11% did not include vitamin D rich foods in their diet.ConclusionThe majority of at-risk patients are aware of vitamin D; nevertheless, there is a significant lack of knowledge among older people, who have higher morbidity. A programme of targeted education of the at-risk population is recommended.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Awareness of vitamin D deficiency among at-risk patients

Alemu¹,

Varnam²

2012

BMC Res Notes

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“…Ten studies of vitamin D deficiency among the general population were identified, two from Denmark (65, 66), seven from Norway (57, 63, 68, 75–78), and one from Sweden (58). …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population groups in dietary transition

Wändell¹

2013

Food & Nutrition Research

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BackgroundLittle is known about the effects of dietary acculturation in minority groups in the Nordic countries, including immigrants from non-Western societies.MethodsA search was performed in Medlin33e/PubMed and SweMed+ for articles published in 1990–2011.ResultsA total of 840 articles were identified, with a final 32 articles used to tabulate results which were included in the primary analysis. High rates of vitamin D deficiency (23 articles) were found in immigrants of non-Western origin; deficiency rates were very high among both pregnant and non-pregnant women, and also among children, with young children of immigrant parents showing 50 times higher risk for rickets when compared to children of indigenous parents. The risk of iron deficiency (two articles) was high among immigrant women, while the results were inconclusive regarding children. High rates of dental caries (seven articles) were found among pre-school and younger school children of immigrant origin, while the risk of caries was not as evident among older children. In a secondary analysis, including 48 articles (results not tabulated), overweight and obesity (14 articles) were seen in many immigrant groups, resulting in a high prevalence of diabetes (2 review articles from a total of 14 original articles) and incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD; seven articles). For hypertension (three articles), dyslipidemia (four articles), and dietary patterns among immigrants (10 articles), the results were contradictory.ConclusionsRisk of vitamin D deficiency is alarmingly high in the Nordic countries among immigrants of non-Western origin, especially among women. Dental caries is high among immigrant children aged 0–7 years due to a higher intake of sugary products. Overweight and obesity, associated with a higher risk of diabetes and CHD, are prevalent in many immigrant groups and need further attention.

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“…A one centimeter difference in height was associated with 0.004 g/cm 2 Regression model was fitted with PTH as the dependent variable and vitamin D as the independent variable to assess the relationship of these two variables (Figure 1). Using the regression equation (intercept = 73.08 and [12] estimated 25-vitD levels of Sri Lankan ethnic Tamils from the central part of the country and compared it with a similar ethnic group in Norway. In their analysis among 30 -60-year-old community-dwelling Sri Lankan women, the mean 25-vitD level was 47.4 ± 15.8 nmol/L.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Knowledge on vitamin D status among Sri Lankan is limited [12]. There were no studies done on Sri Lankan men's vitamin D levels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%