Sociodemographic Factors for Vitamin D Levels in Children with Acute Respiratory Infection

Background and Objectives: Childhood acute respiratory infection is a public health problem with significant morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The present study was to assess the sociodemographic determinants of vitamin D levels in patient with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) receiving care in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Southeast Nigeria. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in Nnewi, Nigeria, on 250 children with ARI. Sociodemographic data were collected and serum vitamin D levels of the subjects were assayed. The association between sociodemographic variables and vitamin D was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 250 children with ARI aged 1 - 59 months were enrolled in this study, with slight male preponderance (57.2%). About 60% of the population was less than 2 years. The majority (85.6%) of the subjects had adequate vitamin D levels (≥20 ng/dL). The mean serum vitamin D level in the subjects was (52.2 ± 25.6 ng/mL). Multivariate logistic regression showed that only gender was significantly related to vitamin D levels with males found to have a lower risk of vitamin D deficiency. {OR = 0.05 (0.004 - 0.77)}, p = 0.03. Conclusion: The association between male gender and high levels of vitamin D in acute respiratory infection was significant in this study. Further studies, however, should explore a probable role for vitamin D supplementation in children with ARI.