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Minerals, trace elements, Vit. D and bone health

Vitamin D status and determinants of deficiency among non-pregnant Jordanian women of reproductive age

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 66, pages 751–756 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:

Vitamin D deficiency, a risk factor for osteomalacia and osteoporosis, is a re-emerging health problem globally. While sunlight is an important vitamin D source, previous investigations among women whose culture encourages skin covering have been small, not nationally representative, or both. We investigated serum 25–hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D3) status and factors associated with deficiency in a nationally representative survey of 2013 Jordanian women of reproductive age in Spring 2010.

SUBJECTS/METHODS:

We measured 25(OH)D3 concentrations by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and calculated prevalence ratios for deficiency associated with skin covering and other factors.

RESULTS:

Results showed 60.3% (95% CI: 57.1–63.4%) deficiency (<12 ng/ml) and 95.7% (95% CI: 94.4–96.8%) insufficiency (<20 ng/ml) among women. Prevalence of deficiency was 1.60 times higher for women who covered with a scarf/hijab (95% CI: 1.06–2.40, P=0.024) and 1.87 times higher for women who wore full cover, or a niqab (95% CI: 1.20–2.93, P=0.006), compared with the women who did not wear a scarf/hijab or niqab. Compared with rural women completing at least secondary education, prevalence of deficiency was 1.30 times higher for urban women of the same education level (95% CI: 1.08–1.57, P=0.006), 1.18 times higher for urban women completing less than secondary education (95% CI: 0.98–1.43, P=0.09), and 0.66 times lower for rural women completing less than secondary education (95% CI: 0.52–0.84, P=0.001).

CONCLUSION:

Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency pose significant public health problems in Jordanian women. Prevalence of deficiency is significantly higher among urban women and among women who cover with a scarf/hijab or niqab.

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Acknowledgements

The current survey was funded through a grant agreement between the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Government of Jordan Ministry of Health and through a Memorandum of Understanding between GAIN and CDC. We especially acknowledge Usha Manadava and Rosemary Schleicher for their laboratory support, and Faruq Zghol, Iyad Hamzeh and Ashraf Mettlaq for helping in the vitamin D laboratory analyses. We would also like to thank Hanan Masa’d, Rawhieh Barham, Aktham Haddadin, Tarek Al-Sanouri, Mohammed Tarawaneh, Bassam Hijawi, and the many individuals who assisted in the completion of the micronutrient survey.

Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Epidemic Intelligence Service assigned to the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    E K Nichols

  2. Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan

    I M D Khatib

  3. Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    N J Aburto, K M Sullivan, K S Scanlon & M K Serdula

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    K M Sullivan

  5. Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Geneva, Switzerland

    J P Wirth

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  1. E K Nichols
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Nichols, E., Khatib, I., Aburto, N. et al. Vitamin D status and determinants of deficiency among non-pregnant Jordanian women of reproductive age. Eur J Clin Nutr 66, 751–756 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2012.25

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