Variations in vitamin D status among Chinese children aged 1–6 years during the COVID-19 pandemic
BackgroundVitamin D deficiency has been a critical global health issue within the pediatric population. Closed-off management brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted outdoor activities and sunlight exposure, however, whether it indirectly further exacerbated the vitamin D def...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| author | Yongfeng Qiao Xiaoqin Wang Yanfen Ma Jian Hu |
| author_facet | Yongfeng Qiao Xiaoqin Wang Yanfen Ma Jian Hu |
| author_sort | Yongfeng Qiao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundVitamin D deficiency has been a critical global health issue within the pediatric population. Closed-off management brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted outdoor activities and sunlight exposure, however, whether it indirectly further exacerbated the vitamin D deficiency has not been largely investigated, especially among children in China. The purpose of this study was to evaluate 25(OH)D concentrations in children before and during the COVID-19 lockdown and to analyze the factors influencing their vitamin D status.MethodsA cross-sectional survey included children aged 1–6 years from Han Zhong Central Hospital in the southern Shanxi Province of China. This study examined healthy children from a pediatric health care department over two periods: before COVID-19 (March 2019–February 2020), and during COVID-19 (March 2020–February 2021). Total 25(OH)D concentrations were compared between the two observation periods. Vitamin D status was determined by 25(OH)D concentrations: deficient (<20 ng/ml), insufficient (20–29 ng/ml), and sufficient (30–100 ng/ml).ResultsThe study involved 6,780 children, with 52.8% being 1-year-olds, 23.1% being 2-year-olds, and 24.1% being 3 to 6-year-olds. Boys and girls were 52.8 and 47.2%, respectively. The actual prevalence of deficiency in vitamin D nutritional status among children was 2.8%, with 87.1% of cases in those aged 3 to 6 years. Vitamin D insufficiency was 18.3%, affecting 54.8% of the same demographic. The average of 25(OH)D concentration were 38.2 ± 9.8 ng/ml, significantly varying by age and season. 25(OH)D concentrations decreased with age, from 42.3 ± 8.8 ng/ml at 1-year-olds to 37.4 ± 8.2 ng/ml at 2-year-olds, and further to 30.2 ± 8.1 ng/ml at 3 to 6-year-olds. Seasonal variations showed that 25(OH)D concentrations were higher in spring (38.7 ± 10.1 ng/ml), summer (38.7 ± 10.0 ng/ml), and fall (38.6 ± 9.2 ng/ml) in comparison to winter (36.0 ± 9.8 ng/ml). Additionally, the concentrations of 25(OH)D in spring exhibited a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic (37.9 ± 10.3 ng/ml) in comparison to the pre-pandemic measurements (39.3 ± 9.9 ng/ml) (p = 0.008), while winter concentrations increased from (35.1 ± 10.4 ng/ml) to (37.9 ± 10.3 ng/ml) during the pandemic (p = 0.002).ConclusionThe research indicated that vitamin D deficiency is uncommon among Chinese children, with 25(OH)D concentrations experiencing a notable decline in those aged 3–6 years. The findings suggested a potential need for tailored supplementation strategies and possibly higher doses for this age group, along with monitoring 25(OH)D concentrations to evaluate supplementation effectiveness. COVID-19-related restrictions minimally affected children’s 25(OH)D concentrations, revealing the nutritional implications of the pandemic. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-9f974cb2ef1c40c0b8bfa51fea3f41732025-01-23T06:56:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-01-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15143551514355Variations in vitamin D status among Chinese children aged 1–6 years during the COVID-19 pandemicYongfeng Qiao0Xiaoqin Wang1Yanfen Ma2Jian Hu3Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hanzhong Central Hospital, Hanzhong, ChinaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, The First affiliated hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, The First affiliated hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, The First affiliated hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaBackgroundVitamin D deficiency has been a critical global health issue within the pediatric population. Closed-off management brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically impacted outdoor activities and sunlight exposure, however, whether it indirectly further exacerbated the vitamin D deficiency has not been largely investigated, especially among children in China. The purpose of this study was to evaluate 25(OH)D concentrations in children before and during the COVID-19 lockdown and to analyze the factors influencing their vitamin D status.MethodsA cross-sectional survey included children aged 1–6 years from Han Zhong Central Hospital in the southern Shanxi Province of China. This study examined healthy children from a pediatric health care department over two periods: before COVID-19 (March 2019–February 2020), and during COVID-19 (March 2020–February 2021). Total 25(OH)D concentrations were compared between the two observation periods. Vitamin D status was determined by 25(OH)D concentrations: deficient (<20 ng/ml), insufficient (20–29 ng/ml), and sufficient (30–100 ng/ml).ResultsThe study involved 6,780 children, with 52.8% being 1-year-olds, 23.1% being 2-year-olds, and 24.1% being 3 to 6-year-olds. Boys and girls were 52.8 and 47.2%, respectively. The actual prevalence of deficiency in vitamin D nutritional status among children was 2.8%, with 87.1% of cases in those aged 3 to 6 years. Vitamin D insufficiency was 18.3%, affecting 54.8% of the same demographic. The average of 25(OH)D concentration were 38.2 ± 9.8 ng/ml, significantly varying by age and season. 25(OH)D concentrations decreased with age, from 42.3 ± 8.8 ng/ml at 1-year-olds to 37.4 ± 8.2 ng/ml at 2-year-olds, and further to 30.2 ± 8.1 ng/ml at 3 to 6-year-olds. Seasonal variations showed that 25(OH)D concentrations were higher in spring (38.7 ± 10.1 ng/ml), summer (38.7 ± 10.0 ng/ml), and fall (38.6 ± 9.2 ng/ml) in comparison to winter (36.0 ± 9.8 ng/ml). Additionally, the concentrations of 25(OH)D in spring exhibited a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic (37.9 ± 10.3 ng/ml) in comparison to the pre-pandemic measurements (39.3 ± 9.9 ng/ml) (p = 0.008), while winter concentrations increased from (35.1 ± 10.4 ng/ml) to (37.9 ± 10.3 ng/ml) during the pandemic (p = 0.002).ConclusionThe research indicated that vitamin D deficiency is uncommon among Chinese children, with 25(OH)D concentrations experiencing a notable decline in those aged 3–6 years. The findings suggested a potential need for tailored supplementation strategies and possibly higher doses for this age group, along with monitoring 25(OH)D concentrations to evaluate supplementation effectiveness. COVID-19-related restrictions minimally affected children’s 25(OH)D concentrations, revealing the nutritional implications of the pandemic.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1514355/full25-hydroxyvitamin D25-hydroxyvitamin D225-hydroxyvitamin D3LC–MS/MSchildrenCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Yongfeng Qiao Xiaoqin Wang Yanfen Ma Jian Hu Variations in vitamin D status among Chinese children aged 1–6 years during the COVID-19 pandemic Frontiers in Public Health 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 LC–MS/MS children COVID-19 |
| title | Variations in vitamin D status among Chinese children aged 1–6 years during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Variations in vitamin D status among Chinese children aged 1–6 years during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Variations in vitamin D status among Chinese children aged 1–6 years during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Variations in vitamin D status among Chinese children aged 1–6 years during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Variations in vitamin D status among Chinese children aged 1–6 years during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | variations in vitamin d status among chinese children aged 1 6 years during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 LC–MS/MS children COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1514355/full |
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