Aims: Cultural and biological factors place immigrant women from equatorial Africa at increased risk of vitamin D insufficiency. This could in part explain the high prevalence of fatigue, musculoskeletal complaints, and depressive symptoms in this population.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study of East African immigrant women in Washington State, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) serum concentrations and multiple measures of physical and psychological symptoms were assessed. Mean serum 25(OH)D serum concentrations and chi-square were used to assess differences between groups. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore differences in the symptoms of subjects with varying degrees of vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency.
Results: Of the 75 women interviewed and who completed surveys, 25(OH)D serum samples were available in 71 subjects. All were found to have low 25(OH)D; 9 (12.3%) had ≤8 ng/mL, 29 (40.9%) had 8.1–15 ng/mL, and 33 (44.9%) had 15.1–30 ng/mL. After controlling for age, women with 25(OH)D < 15 ng/mL were 66% less likely to drink milk than women with 25(OH)D ≥ 15 ng/mL (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.11–0.99). Musculoskeletal complaints, depressive symptoms, and fatigue did not correlate with the severity of 25(OH)D insufficiency.
Conclusions: Vitamin D insufficiency, as reflected by low 25(OH)D serum concentrations, was a universal finding in this group of women, suggesting the need for widespread education and intervention in this and other immigrant groups at northern latitudes.
