Association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration with anthropometric measures in children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-V study

• Published in: Eating and weight disorders Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 2219 - 2226
• Main Authors: Bemanalizadeh, Maryam, Heidari-Beni, Motahar, Ejtahed, Hanieh-Sadat, Heshmat, Ramin, Baygi, Fereshteh, Seif, Ehsan, Mahdavi-Gorab, Armita, Kasaeian, Amir, Khademian, Majid, Qorbani, Mostafa, Kelishadi, Roya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.10.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Body mass index; Body measurements; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Pediatrics; Psychiatry; Teenagers; Vitamin D; Vitamin deficiency; Prevention; Child; Anthropometry; Adolescent; 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
• ISSN: 1590-1262; 1124-4909; 1590-1262
• DOI: 10.1007/s40519-020-01067-3

Background Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations reflect vitamin D status, with deficiency implicated as an underlying factor for many adverse health effects. This study aims to analyze the association between vitamin D status and different anthropometric measures in a large pediatric population. Methods This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 in blood samples obtained from school students of 30 provinces in Iran. Participants were 2596 children and adolescents aged 7–18 years. Weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), neck circumference (NC), and wrist circumference (WrC) were measured. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (W/HtR) were calculated. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were measured using chemiluminescent immunoassay. Results Participants consisted of 55% boys, 71.3% urban inhabitants, with a mean (SD) age of 12.1 (3.0) years. Overall, vitamin D deficiency was documented in 10.6% of participants, insufficiency in 60.4%, and sufficiency in 29% of the population studied. The mean of BMI and WC was higher in the vitamin D deficient than in the vitamin D sufficient group (19.31 kg/m 2 and 69.24 cm vs. 18.34 kg/m 2 and 65.73 cm, respectively, P  < 0.01). Multivariate linear regression models revealed a significant association of vitamin D insufficiency with WC and W/HtR ( P  < 0.05). Likewise, in the multivariate regression models, vitamin D deficiency was associated with BMI, WC, and W/HtR ( P  < 0.05). Conclusion Our findings on the inverse association between vitamin D status and some anthropometric measures underscore the importance of providing vitamin D by fortification and supplementation programs of vitamin D for the pediatric population. Level of evidence V.