Vitamin D Intake among adults of varying age, race, and gender (1041.1)

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is a significant problem in the United States, especially among older adults. The objectives of this studywere to determine if age, gender, and race influence vitamin D intake and to determine if varying degrees of vitamin D inadequacy exist in adults. Secondary data analyses were performed on 1,065 adults (>41 years) in the 2009‐2010 NHANES data set. We found that Mexican Hispanics had significantly higher vitamin D intake levels compared to Non‐Hispanic Whites (p=.003, 2‐tailed). Analysis also showed that there was a significant difference in the vitamin D intake levels among males (0.6 ‐ 38.6 mcg/d) and females (5.6 ‐ 43.2 mcg/d), p<.001. There was no relationship between vitamin D intake and age. The findings suggest that the mean intake of vitamin D for age, race, and gender where all above the RDA (15 mcg/d), but the min ‐ max ranges for all participants in the study suggest some individuals were well above the RDA for vitamin D while others were well below that threshold. Much of the current research on vitamin D is showing a correlation between deficiency and all‐cause mortality. Further research is needed to confirm this correlation.