Vitamin D deficiency in obese adolescent women

Introduction: Vitamin deficiency is being considered a public health problem. Objectives: To describe vitamin D status in female adolescents with obesity. Design: Observational, descriptive, analytical study. Location: Metropolitan Lima. Participants: Teenagers. Interventions: According to body mass index, 111 adolescents were studied, 58 were obese and 53 non-obese. A food survey was performed including those containing vitamin D and vitamin supplements. Waist circumference and blood pressure were obtained. Glucose, lipid profile and 25 hydroxyvitamin D were determined in serum. Vitamin D status was determined by Holick criteria. Statistical analysis used student-t test, chi-square and ANOVA, with a 95 per cent confidence interval and a significance level of <0.05. Main outcome measures: Averages, confidence interval and prevalence. Results: Vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) was found in 10.8 per cent of adolescents, 11.3 per cent in non-obese and 10.3 per cent in the obese. Average vitamin D intake was 1.8 ug (95 per cent CI 1.4-2.2) in non-obese and 1.7 ug (95 per cent CI 1.4-2.1) in the obese. Intake was 2.3 ug (95 per cent CI 1.9-2.9) in those deficient and 1.7 ug (95 per cent CI 1.4-2) in the non-deficient. There was no association between vitamin D and cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions: One out of each 10 adolescent women was vitamin D deficient and 2 of 10 had insufficient vitamin D.