Vitamin D deficiency and its associated factors: A descriptive study among a selected group of premenopausal women in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D (vit-D) plays a significant role in bone health, largely by regulation of calcium homeostasis in the body. Hypovitaminosis D is linked with a multitude of co morbidities. Many nutritional and behavioural factors are associated with low vit-D levels. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of vit-D deficiency and its associated factors in a sample of premenopausal women in Sri Lanka Methods: Community dwelling healthy women (free of diseases and drugs including vitamins) between 20-40 years (n = 132) were selected from Matara and Kandy districts. Consumption of vit-D rich dairy and non-dairy foods and the duration of sun exposure were estimated. Serum vit-D level was measured. Vit-D reference values introduced by Lips et al were used to categorize subjects. Results: Eight subjects (6.1%) were vit-D deficient while 68 (51.5%) had vit-D insufficiency. There was no difference in median vit-D levels according to age (20-30 vs 31-40 years). Vit-D was higher in women who had sun exposure >2 hours/day compared to women who had <2 hours/day. Vit-D positively associated with dairy (r = 0.189, p = 0.04) and non-dairy vit-D rich food intake (r = 0.263, p = 0.01). Conclusions: Hypovitaminosis D is prevalent among community dwelling healthy middle aged women in Sri Lanka. Interventions should be planned based on sun exposure and diet to overcome this prevalent problem.