Vitamin D status of urban lactating women in Islamabad - Gharb and factors affecting it, 2004

At the outset of the third millennium, vitamin D deficiency is still a common and serious health problem among women of reproductive age and their infants in developing countries. Precise information on the vitamin D status of urban lactating women in Islamabad -Gharb is not available. But it seems that, like in other areas of Iran, vitamin D deficiency may be common in this region. The aim of this study was to determine the vitamin D status in urban lactating women and its association with the following variables: number of pregnancies, total duration of lactation, length of exposure to sunlight, and literacy. Using a simple random sampling technique, a total of 155 lactating women with children under the age of 1 year were selected from 8 urban health clinics. In the interview, the subjects answered questions on the above-mentioned independent variables and fasting blood samples were taken for analysis. The concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in serum was measured by a chemiluminescence method. Normal status was defined as concentration of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D serum ≥ 10 ng/ml, moderate deficiency as concentration ≥ 6ng/ml and <10 ng/ml, and severe vitamin D deficiency as concentration of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D < 6 ng/ml. The results indicate that only 8.4% of women were normal, 18.7% had moderate deficiency, and 72.9% had severe vitamin D deficiency. The vitamin D status had a statistically significantly negative association with the number of pregnancies and the total duration of lactation. The vitamin D status of urban lactating women is very poor and needs immediate attention.