Vitamin D status among adults in the Aegean region of Turkey

• Published in: BMC public health Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 782
• Main Authors: Hekimsoy, Zeliha, Dinç, Gönül, Kafesçiler, Sabriye, Onur, Ece, Güvenç, Yesim, Pala, Tümer, Güçlü, Feyzullah, Ozmen, Bilgin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 23.12.2010; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adult; Ambulatory care; Autoimmune diseases; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Demographic aspects; Distribution; Female; Health facilities; Health services; Households; Humans; Male; Mens health; Methods; Middle Aged; Nutrition; Prevalence; Rural areas; Skin; Turkey - epidemiology; Urban areas; Urban Population; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D deficiency; Vitamin D Deficiency - diagnosis; Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology; Vitamin deficiency; Womens health; Turkey
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-782

Vitamin D is a lipid-soluble hormone found in certain foods and synthesized from precursors in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light. Vitamin D plays a critical role in bone metabolism and many cellular and immunological processes and low levels have been associated with several chronic and infectious diseases. Vitamin D status is assessed by measuring the concentration of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Vitamin D deficiency is reported to be common worldwide, but little has been reported about the vitamin D status of adults in Turkey. In this cross-sectional study, we determined the prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency in adults residing in a city in the Aegean region of Turkey. A survey was conducted on a representative sample of adults over 20 years old in a non-coastal city at the end of the winter season. Of the 209 households selected by random sampling, 8.6% (n = 18) were unoccupied and 21.5% (n = 45) refused to participate. Blood samples were taken and questions about medical history, vitamin supplementation, sunlight exposure, and dietary calcium and vitamin D intake were asked in face-to-face interviews of 391 adults living in the remaining households. The mean serum 25(OH)D concentration was 16.9 ± 13.09 ng/mL, with 74.9% of the subjects having 25(OH)D deficiency (<20 ng/mL), 13.8% having insufficiency (20-29.99 ng/mL), and 11.3% of the subjects having sufficient 25(OH)D (≥ 30 ng/mL) levels. 25(OH)D deficiency was more common among females (78.7%) than males (66.4%, p < 0.05). Adults living in an urban, non-coastal setting in Turkey have a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.