Abstract
Background
Vitamin D deficiency, an important risk factor for osteoporosis and other chronic medical conditions, is epidemic in the United States. Uninsured women may be at an even higher risk for vitamin D deficiency than others owing to low intake of dietary and supplemental vitamin D and limited sun exposure.
Objective
Our goal was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this vulnerable population.
Setting and Participants
We enrolled 145 uninsured women at a County Free Medical Clinic in urban Michigan. Questionnaires were used to obtain information about demographics, medical history, vitamin supplementation, sunlight exposure, and dietary vitamin D intake.
Results
The 96 women who were tested for vitamin D status ranged in age from 21 to 65 years (mean 48 ± 11), and 67% were vitamin D deficient as indicated by a 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D)] level <50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL). Non-Caucasians were 3 times more likely than Caucasians to be vitamin D deficient (P = .049). Mean dietary vitamin D intake was low (125 ± 109 IU/d) and only 24% of the participants used any supplemental vitamin D. Participants with total vitamin D intake <400 IU/day from diet and supplements were 10 times more likely to be vitamin D deficient than others (P < .001).
Conclusions
These results demonstrate a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in an uninsured, medically underserved female population. Uninsured women should be strongly encouraged to increase their vitamin D intake.
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Acknowledgment
We would like to thank Dr. Susan Blalock for granting us permission to use the food questionnaire, Dr. Mindy Smith and Dr. Carole Keefe for their mentorship, Dr. Brenda Gillespie for her expert statistical review and the staff at Genesee County free medical clinic for all their support during this study. This article was presented at the Flint Area Medical Education (FAME) research meeting, May 2005, ACP Michigan Associates Meeting, May 2005 and ACP Michigan Chapter meeting, Sept. 2005)
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Kakarala, R.R., Chandana, S.R., Harris, S.S. et al. Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Uninsured Women. J GEN INTERN MED 22, 1180–1183 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0245-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-007-0245-x