Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 14, Issue 6, 2012, Pages 941-948

Vitamin D deficiency among newly resettled refugees in Massachusetts (Article)

Penrose K.* , Adams J.H. , Nguyen T. , Cochran J. , Geltman P.L.
  • a Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), 305 South Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA 02130, United States
  • b Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), 305 South Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA 02130, United States
  • c Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), 305 South Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA 02130, United States
  • d Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), 305 South Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA 02130, United States
  • e Refugee and Immigrant Health Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), 305 South Street, Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA 02130, United States, Department of Pediatrics, Boston University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that vitamin D deficiency is widespread among immigrants and refugees. This study sought to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among a large and diverse cohort of refugees in Massachusetts to assess its significance for routine refugee health screening of refugees. 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels for 2,610 refugees screened between 2007 and 2009 were used to estimate vitamin D status and to examine the relationship between deficiency or insufficiency and age, gender, regional origin, and season of testing. Among those tested, 78 % were either vitamin D insufficient or deficient. Insufficiency or deficiency was most prevalent in refugees from the Middle East (89 %) and lowest in those from the Caribbean (59 %). Risk was higher among women than among men from some regions, such as the Middle East, but not others. For women, the likelihood of deficiency increased with age, while for men, the likelihood of deficiency was similar for preschool children and men at the height of their working years. The high overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency suggests that empiric supplementation or treatment may be preferred to testing until more is known about the long-term epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency and its consequences. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012.

Author Keywords

Nutrient deficiency Vitamin D Refugees nutrition

Index Keywords

refugee Massachusetts human sex difference Refugees middle aged statistics Vitamin D United States Young Adult Humans Adolescent 25 hydroxyvitamin D Infant, Newborn male preschool child female Infant risk factor Risk Factors Child, Preschool newborn prevalence vitamin D deficiency Article blood adult age Sex Factors Age Factors 25-hydroxyvitamin D drug derivative Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84871948298&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-012-9603-9&partnerID=40&md5=6028a3f071f186c702b1d5cd5985a1b3
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-012-9603-9
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 12
Original Language: English