Vitamin D deficiency in South-East Asian children: a systematic review. Issue 11 (9th June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Oktaria, Vicka; Putri, Dwi Astuti Dharma; Ihyauddin, Zulfikar; Julia, Madarina; Sulistyoningrum, Dian Caturini; Koon, Poh Bee; Danchin, Margaret; Murni, Indah Kartika
• Is Part Of: Archives of disease in childhood. Volume 107:Issue 11(2022)
• Page Start: 980
• Page End: 987
• Publication Date: 2022-06-09
• Subjects: child Health -- epidemiology -- paediatrics; Children -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Infants -- Diseases -- Periodicals; 618.920005
• DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2021-323765
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0003-9888

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: To describe the prevalence and determinants of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) among healthy children aged between 0 and 18 years living in South-East Asia (SEA). Design: We systematically searched Ovid MEDLINE and Ovid EMBASE for observational studies assessing VDD among healthy children in the SEA region as the primary or secondary outcome from database inception to 6 April 2021. PubMed was used for e-pubs and publications not indexed in Medline. Publications that included abstracts in English were included. We performed a systematic review to describe the prevalence of VDD in SEA children. Results: Our initial search identified 550 publications with an additional 2 publications from manual screening. Of those, 21 studies from 5 different countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia) were summarised and included in forest plots. The prevalence of VDD (<50 nmol/L) ranged from 0.9% to 96.4%, with >50% of newborns having VDD, and severe VDD (<30 nmol/L) ranged from 0% to 55.8%. Female sex and urban living were the most common determinants of VDD. Conclusions: VDD among healthy children living in the SEA region is common. Efforts to detect VDD and the implementation of preventive measures, including education on safe sun exposure and oral vitamin D supplementation or food fortification, should be considered for key target groups, including adolescent females and pregnant and lactating women to improve the vitamin D status of newborns. Protocol registration number: This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020181600 ). Abstract : Vitamin D deficiency remains underdiagnosed worldwide, with significant impacts on many aspects of child health. The high rates of seemingly healthy children in southeast Asia commonly suffering from this condition help bring attention to this hidden form of malnutrition.