Pang Yanghee, Kim Oksoo, Choi Jung-Ah, Jung Heeja, Kim Jui, Lee Haeok, Lee Hyangkyu
College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea.
Ewha Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul, South Korea.
BMC Nurs. 2021 Nov 1;20(1):218. doi: 10.1186/s12912-021-00737-6.
Adequate levels of vitamin D are important for women of childbearing age as vitamin D helps maintain the pregnancy and ensures proper maternal and fetal bone metabolism and fetal skeletal development. However, vitamin D deficiency is a health problem prevalent in women of all ages, worldwide. This study aimed to determine the current status of serum vitamin D levels and the risk factors for vitamin D deficiency among South Korean nurses of childbearing age.
Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) were measured in 1594 registered nurses aged 20 to 45 years who are participants in an ongoing prospective cohort study of the Korean Nurses' Health Study initiated in 2013. The participants completed surveys about demographic and occupational characteristics and physical and psychological health. We examined associations with vitamin D deficiency through multivariable logistic regression analysis.
The average blood 25(OH) D concentration of the participants was 12.92 ng/mL (4.0-63.4 ng/mL), while the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/mL) was 89% (1419/1594). Multivariable logistic regression showed that significant risk factors for vitamin D deficiency included month of sampling (there was a lower level of vitamin D deficiency in winter than in spring, summer, or fall), age (women in their 20s had a lower vitamin D level than those in their 30s and 40s), and stress symptoms. Vitamin D levels were not associated with body mass index, physical activity, and depressive symptoms.
This study showed a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Korean female nurses. Serum levels of vitamin D were associated with age and season. Vitamin D deficiency should be recognized as one of the primary health concerns among young women. More proactive actions, such as vitamin D supplements and food fortification, are needed to improve vitamin D deficiency in high-risk groups.
充足的维生素D水平对育龄女性很重要，因为维生素D有助于维持妊娠，并确保母体和胎儿的骨骼代谢正常以及胎儿骨骼发育良好。然而，维生素D缺乏是一个在全球所有年龄段女性中都普遍存在的健康问题。本研究旨在确定韩国育龄护士血清维生素D水平的现状以及维生素D缺乏的风险因素。
对1594名年龄在20至45岁的注册护士进行了血清25-羟基维生素D（25[OH]D）水平检测，这些护士是2013年启动的韩国护士健康研究正在进行的前瞻性队列研究的参与者。参与者完成了关于人口统计学和职业特征以及身心健康的调查。我们通过多变量逻辑回归分析研究了与维生素D缺乏的关联。
参与者的平均血液25(OH)D浓度为12.92 ng/mL（4.0 - 63.4 ng/mL），而维生素D缺乏（<20 ng/mL）的患病率为89%（1419/1594）。多变量逻辑回归显示，维生素D缺乏的显著风险因素包括采样月份（冬季维生素D缺乏水平低于春季、夏季或秋季）、年龄（20多岁的女性维生素D水平低于30多岁和40多岁的女性）以及压力症状。维生素D水平与体重指数、身体活动和抑郁症状无关。
本研究表明韩国女性护士中维生素D缺乏的患病率很高。血清维生素D水平与年龄和季节有关。维生素D缺乏应被视为年轻女性主要的健康问题之一。需要采取更积极的行动，如补充维生素D和食品强化，以改善高危人群的维生素D缺乏状况。
