Doha, Qatar: Vitamin D deficiency has emerged as a significant public health concern among children and adolescents in Qatar, with adolescents, particularly girls bearing the highest burden, according to a large new study published in the latest issue of the Qatar Medical Journal.
The cross-sectional, record-based study ‘Prevalence and selected predictors of vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents attending primary health care centers: A cross-sectional record-based study, Qatar’ analysed nearly 49,000 electronic medical records of children and adolescents under the age of 18 who attended Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) centers within a year. It is one of the largest population-based studies to date examining vitamin D status in Qatar’s paediatric population.
Researchers found that while infants and young children had relatively low rates of severe vitamin D deficiency, the prevalence rose sharply with age. Only 3.8% of infants under one year and 3.4% of children aged one to four years were severely deficient. In contrast, 40% of adolescents aged 10 to 17 years had severe vitamin D deficiency, defined as serum vitamin D levels below 10 ng/mL.
Gender differences were striking. Females were found to be significantly more affected than males, with 30.4% of girls showing severe deficiency compared to 15.3% of boys. Nationality also played a major role, with children from southern Asia facing a markedly higher risk than those from other regions.
Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the study identified age, gender, nationality, and obesity as key predictors of severe vitamin D deficiency. Adolescents were 17 times more likely to be severely deficient than children under five years of age.
Females had a 2.4-fold higher risk compared to males, while children of southern Asian nationality were 5.7 times more likely to be severely deficient than their peers from other regions. Overweight and obese children were also at increased risk.
Despite Qatar’s sunny climate, lifestyle factors such as limited outdoor activity, cultural practices, dietary habits, and obesity appear to contribute to low vitamin D levels, particularly among older children and adolescents.
Vitamin D is essential for bone health, immune function, and overall growth.
Severe deficiency in children can lead to conditions such as rickets, impaired bone mineralisation, and long-term health consequences.
Although Qatar has made progress in reducing vitamin D deficiency over the past decade, the study shows that nearly three-quarters of children and adolescents are still either deficient or severely deficient.
The authors stress that targeted interventions are urgently needed. They recommend focusing on high-risk groups especially adolescents, girls, and certain ethnic communities through enhanced screening, supplementation programmes, food fortification initiatives, and public awareness campaigns. Encouraging safe sun exposure and integrating structured outdoor activities in schools could also help improve vitamin D status among young people.
The study builds on earlier research into vitamin D deficiency among adults in Qatar and provides evidence to inform future health policies. Researchers suggest that the findings could support reconsideration of current screening and supplementation guidelines within primary healthcare settings.
