Increase in vitamin D deficiency seen with age among adolescents, irrespective of ethnicity or gender<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
TUESDAY, July 5, 2022 (HealthDay News) — More than 60 percent of ethnic-minority adolescents in primary care have low vitamin D levels, according to a study published online May 30 in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n Shainy B. Varghese, Ph.D., from the College of Nursing at the University of Houston in Sugar Land, Texas, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study using a retrospective patient chart review to examine vitamin D levels among ethnic-minority adolescents in primary care. Participants included 119 ethnically diverse adolescents, aged 12 to 18 years, with documented vitamin D levels who had a wellness examination in 2018.<\/p>\n The researchers found that 61 percent of the participants had low levels of vitamin D. Irrespective of ethnicity or gender, there was an increase seen in vitamin D deficiency with age; in an adjusted analysis, age was the only significant factor associated with vitamin D deficiency in minority children (odds ratio, 2.6).<\/p>\n “Knowledge and understanding of the prevalence of low vitamin D levels, underlying features, and risk of low vitamin D levels among different ethnic groups are essential for primary care providers who must identify at-risk populations starting at a young age,” Varghese said in a statement.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n