Recent Surge in Severe 25-hydroxyvitamin D Deficiency Among African American Children and Pregnant Women: Implications for Rickets
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities . 2025 May 15. doi: 10.1007/s40615-025-02480-z PDF behind paywall
Hongbing Sun Department of Earth and Chemical Sciences, Rider University, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ, 08648, USA. hsun@rider.edu.
Background: Nutritional rickets is disproportionately prevalent among African American children and is closely linked to vitamin D (VD) deficiency. This study aims to analyze the prevalence and trends of vitamin D deficiency in American children, as well as pregnant and lactating women, from 2001 to 2023, with a focus on African American children.
Methods: We analyzed serum 25(OH)D levels from 2001 to 2023, as well as dietary and supplemental vitamin D intake from 2007 to 2020, among children aged 1-17 years and pregnant and lactating women. Data were from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Results: In the 2021-2023 sample, African American children had the highest rate of severe 25(OH)D deficiency (< 25 nmol/L) at 13.8% among all racial groups. This represents a significant increase from 5% in 2001-2002. Additionally, 2% of African American toddlers aged 12-23 months had severely deficient 25(OH)D levels between 2003 and 2023. An increase in severe 25(OH)D deficiency was also observed in pregnant and lactating African American women during the 2021-2023 period.
Furthermore, 83.3% of African American children and 61.4% of pregnant and lactating African American women had daily vitamin D intakes below 10 mcg (400 IU), the highest inadequacy rates among all racial groups from 2007 to 2020.
Conclusion: The recent rise in severe vitamin D deficiency among African American children, pregnant, and lactating women increases the risk of nutritional rickets and calls for prompt public health attention.
See also VitaminDWiki
- Black infants had far lower vitamin D levels which did not vary with season – Jan 2013
- Large increase in dark skin children with vitamin D deficiency in Glasgow – June 2010
- Many US kids have less than 40 ng of Vitamin D – 99 out of 100 blacks, 91 out of 100 whites – Jan 2017
- Rickets almost eradicated in counties giving free Vitamin D, perhaps the world can learn – Dec 2019
- Overview of Rickets and Vitamin D
- Small for gestational age with low vitamin D – 3.6X higher for blacks than whites – April 2016
- Vitamin D levels have been crashing since 1995 (Polish Children, Elite Military, etc)