*** ARCHIVED ***
This ScotPHO web section has been archived and is no longer being updated or checked for accuracy, out of date information, broken links, etc. Its content should not be considered current or complete. This web section was archived on 10th May 2023. It was previously published under the Wider Determinants main menu heading.
Vitamin D: data - ARCHIVED
The 2010 and 2011 Scottish Health Surveys collected samples of blood from participants, which were subsequently analysed by the Food Standards Agency Scotland to assess vitamin D levels in the population. This showed that the mean serum vitamin D level for the Scottish population was 37.5 nmol/L, but that there was substantial variation across the population. Chart 1 shows that individuals from more deprived areas have lower mean vitamin D levels than those from less deprived areas (Purdon et al. 2013). Chart 2 shows that the proportion of the population with suboptimal levels (<25 nmol/L) increases with area deprivation level: nearly half of those in the most deprived areas (47%) had insufficient vitamin D to protect their musculoskeletal health, compared with a quarter of those in the least deprived areas (Purdon et al. 2013).
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A 2007 study based on 7,430 adults from the 1958 British birth cohort found that vitamin D levels in Scottish individuals were lower than in those living in other parts of the UK (Table 1; adapted from Hypponen and Power, 2007). The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, based on the <25 nmol/L and <75 nmol/L thresholds, was higher in Scotland than in other UK nations.
Although there are plausible reasons why vitamin D levels may be lower in the Scottish population than in other countries (e.g., latitude and climate), there are little data for comparison. Deficiency has also been reported to be common in countries where the population experiences more sunlight than in the UK; for example the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of healthy adults reported that 41.6% of the participants were vitamin D deficient (i.e., serum concentrations of less than 50 nmol/L) (Forrest and Stuhldreher 2011).
| Region of residence (and season) | Subjects (n) | Mean vitamin D serum concentration (95% confidence intervals) (nmol/L) | % sample under threshold | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 25 nmol/L | < 75 nmol/L | |||
| Winter and spring | ||||
| Southern England | 1,226 | 42.6 (41.5, 43.7) | 12.5 | 86.2 |
| Midlands and Wales | 690 | 40.6 (39.3, 42.0) | 16.1 | 87.9 |
| Northern England | 676 | 41.2 (39.7, 42.7) | 17.5 | 85.9 |
| Scotland | 256 | 35.4 (33.4, 37.5) | 23.5 | 92.2 |
| Summer and autumn | ||||
| Southern England | 1,627 | 62.4 (61.2, 63.6) | 2.7 | 56.7 |
| Midlands and Wales | 1,238 | 60.4 (59.1, 61.8) | 2.1 | 62.4 |
| Northern England | 1,261 | 60.9 (59.5, 62.3) | 3.3 | 60.0 |
| Scotland | 456 | 50.9 (48.9, 53.0) | 8.3 | 74.9 |
A study of 2,235 Scottish residents found that those that spent more time outdoors and/or who took vitamin D supplements had higher levels of vitamin D in their blood (Zgaga et al. 2011). However, vitamin D deficiency was still found in some taking the recommended daily allowance (≥10 µg/d), leading the authors to suggest that the recommended daily allowance should be increased.
Please note: If you require the most up-to-date data available, please check the data sources directly as new data may have been published since these data pages were last updated. Although we endeavour to ensure that the data pages are kept up-to-date, there may be a time lag between new data being published and the relevant ScotPHO web pages being updated.
