Prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency and its association with cardiometabolic risk factors among healthcare workers in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa; Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: There is little evidence supporting the association of known cardiometabolic risk factors with vitamin D deficiency across different population groups in South Africa. This study assesses the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency and its potential association with cardiometabolic risk factors among South African adults residing in the Eastern Cape province. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a total of 1244 healthcare workers completed a self-administered questionnaire and venous blood samples were drawn at two academic hospitals in the Eastern Cape province. Vitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency was defined as concentrations < 50 nmol/L. Associations between vitamin D deficiency and participants’ characteristics were assessed using multivariate logistic regression model analysis, with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results A total of 355 participants (28.54% of the study sample) met the criteria for vitamin D deficiency, of whom 28.81% (n = 293) were female. The prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), diabetes mellitus, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and metabolic syndrome was 64.51% (n = 229), 9.01% (n = 32), 16.62% (n = 59), 2.53% (n = 08) and 18.02% (n = 64), respectively. In the adjusted multivariate logistic regression model, black participants (AOR = 6.85 95%CI 0.93–15.99) were more likely to be deficient in vitamin D. However, there was no significant association by age, sex, and cardiometabolic markers in the study sample (p > 0.05). Conclusions More than one in four healthcare workers was deficient in vitamin D among the study sample, especially among the black Africans. Further studies are needed at the population level, especially minority ethnicity to elucidate on the vitamin D status in the region.