Evaluation of sun holiday, diet habits, origin and other factors as determinants of vitamin D status in Swedish primary health care patients: a cross-sectional study with regression analysis of ethnic Swedish and immigrant women

BMC Family Practice

Research Article

Karin Björkegren¹  Annika Bardel¹  Gunnar Johansson¹  Anne Björk¹  Per Kristiansson¹  Åsa Andersson² 

[1] Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine unit, Uppsala University, Box 564, SE-751 22, Uppsala, Sweden;Gottsunda Primary Health Care Centre, Box 25024, SE-750 25, Uppsala, Sweden;

关键词: Vitamin D;    Sun habits;    Immigrant;    Women;    Primary health care;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2296-14-129

 received in 2013-02-24, accepted in 2013-08-27,  发布年份 2013

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDeterminants of vitamin D status measured as 25-OH-vitamin D in blood are exposure to sunlight and intake of vitamin D through food and supplements. It is unclear how large the contributions are from these determinants in Swedish primary care patients, considering the low radiation of UVB in Sweden and the fortification of some foods. Asian and African immigrants in Norway and Denmark have been found to have very low levels, but it is not clear whether the same applies to Swedish patients. The purpose of our study was to identify contributors to vitamin D status in Swedish women attending a primary health care centre at latitude 60°N in Sweden.MethodsIn this cross-sectional, observational study, 61 female patients were consecutively recruited between January and March 2009, irrespective of reason for attending the clinic. The women were interviewed about their sun habits, smoking, education and food intake at a personal appointment and blood samples were drawn for measurements of vitamin D and calcium concentrations.ResultsPlasma concentration of 25-OH-vitamin D below 25 nmol/L was found in 61% (19/31) of immigrant and 7% (2/30) of native women. Multivariate analysis showed that reported sun holiday of one week during the last year at latitude below 40°N with the purpose of sun-bathing and native origin, were significantly, independently and positively associated with 25-OH-vitamin D concentrations in plasma with the strongest association for sun holiday during the past year.ConclusionsVitamin D deficiency was common among the women in the present study, with sun holiday and origin as main determinants of 25-OH-vitamin D concentrations in plasma. Given a negative effect on health this would imply needs for vitamin D treatment particularly in women with immigrant background who have moved from lower to higher latitudes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Björk et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013