Frequency of vitamin D deficiency in admitted children 6 -36 months of age at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan.

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Objective: To find out the frequency of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) in healthy children. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric Medicine, Sahiwal Teaching Hospital, Sahiwal. Period: July 2022 to December 2022. Material & Methods: A total of 80 healthy children of either gender aged 6 to 36 months visiting outpatients department of pediatrics during the study period adopting convenient sampling technique were included. At the time of enrollment, demographic information was recorded and blood sample was obtained and sent for vitamin D analysis. The frequency of VDD was noted. Results: In a total of 80 children, 48 (60.0%) were boys and 32 (40.0%) girls. The mean age was of 14.4±6.2 months. Residential status of 47 (58.3%) children was rural. Evaluation of vitamin D status revealed that 16 (20.0%) children had sufficient levels while deficiency and severe deficiency were noted in 44 (55.0%) and 20 (25.0%) children respectively. Younger age group was having significant linkage with VDD (p=0.0135). Conclusion: The frequency of vitamin D deficiency was very high among healthy children visiting a tertiary care health facility of Punjab, Pakistan. Younger age groups had significant association with the occurrence of vitamin D deficiency.