Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency during autumn and winter among adults in Henan province

  Objective  To examine the status of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) during the autumn and winter among adults in Henan province and to provide references for reducing adverse health effect of VDD.

  Methods  Using multistage cluster random sampling, we conducted a survey among 8 455 urban and rural residents aged 18 years and above in 14 districts/counties of Henan province from October 2018 through February 2019. The participants′ serum 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Complex sampling weighting adjustment was adopted to estimate the prevalence of VDD (PVDD) among the participants.

  Results  The estimated PVDD for all participants was 24.2% (95% confidence interval 95% CI: 19.5% – 29.6%); the PVDD for the males was significantly lower than that for the females (16.0% vs. 32.0%, P < 0.05); the age-specific PVDD was highest (29.6%) for the participants aged 18 – 39 years; and the unmarried participants had significantly higher PVDD compared to those married (37.2% vs. 22.2%, P < 0.05). Multivariate log binomial regression analysis showed that in comparison with control groups, the adjusted prevalence ratio (APR) of VDD was significantly higher in following subgroups: females (vs. males: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.56 – 2.68), the unmarried (vs. the married: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01 – 1.64), being employed in industries other than agriculture/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery/aquaculture (vs. being employed in the industries listed above or the unemployed: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.27 – 2.58; vs. the employed/housekeepers: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.05 – 2.30; vs. retirees: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.22 – 2.54), with higher education attainment (vs. primary school and below: 1.33 95% CI: 0.99 – 1.80 for those with junior high school attainment, 1.44 95% CI: 1.03 – 2.03 for senior high /technical secondary / technical school, and 1.78 95% CI: 1.32 – 2.40 for college and above), being surveyed in winter season (vs. in autumn season: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.14 – 1.82 ).

  Conclusion  The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is high during the autumn and winter season among adults in Henan province and the prevalence was mainly influenced by gender, marital status, education attainment, occupation, and season.