Abstract
Serum concentrations of 25-hydroxy vitamin D 3 [25(OH)D3] and vitamin D deficiency have changed over time in Korean children. This study assessed serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations and the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in children. Serum samples were obtained during 1995 to 2011, and 25(OH)D3 concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Tests of 948 serum samples showed that median 25(OH)D 3 concentrations decreased significantly (P < 0.001), and the rates of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency increased significantly (P < 0.001), over 15 years. Median serum 25(OH)D 3 was significantly higher in males than in females in 2005-2006 and 2010-2011 (P < 0.001), whereas the rates of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency were higher in subjects aged 11-15 years than in the other two age groups after the year 2000. These increases over time in vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency may be due to the changing lifestyles of children. Outdoor physical activity should be strongly encouraged.
Keywords: adolescent, children, vitamin D, vitamin D deficiency
Copyright and license
Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
