Abstract
Objective. This study evaluates the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency on a pediatric psychiatry inpatient unit. Deficiency has been linked to poor general health outcomes including all-cause mortality as well as psychiatric illness such as depression.1-2 While vitamin D deficiency is common in the United States at large, there is a paucity of data evaluating its prevalence specifically in the pediatric psychiatry population. Method. Vitamin D status, assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level, was obtained on 147 patients as part of routine laboratory blood work on inpatient admission. Low levels were categorized into deficient (<15 ng/mL) or insufficient (15-31 ng/mL). Results. The overall frequency of low vitamin D levels in this population was high, with 85% being insufficient or deficient. Conclusion. A high prevalence of low vitamin D levels was observed in a pediatric psychiatry inpatient sample. This finding highlights an opportunity for potential identification of deficiency/insufficiency at intake for an at-risk population.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 375-380 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Infant, Child, and Adolescent Nutrition |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2015 |
Keywords
- deficiency
- mental health
- pediatric
- screening
- vitamin D
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Food Science
- Nutrition and Dietetics