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Observational Study
. 2021 Aug 5;13(8):2702.
doi: 10.3390/nu13082702.

Vitamin D Status among First-Generation Immigrants from Different Ethnic Groups and Origins: An Observational Study Using the Canadian Health Measures Survey

Said Yousef  1   2 , Douglas Manuel  3   4   5 , Ian Colman  1 , Manny Papadimitropoulos  6   7 , Alomgir Hossain  1   4 , MoezAlIslam Faris  8 , George A Wells  1   2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Vitamin D Status among First-Generation Immigrants from Different Ethnic Groups and Origins: An Observational Study Using the Canadian Health Measures Survey

Said Yousef et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

One in five Canadians are first-generation immigrants. Evidence suggests the baseline risk for vitamin D (vitD) deficiency is increased among immigrants who move from equatorial to northern countries. We investigated the prevalence and determinants of vitD deficiency/insufficiency among first-generation immigrants compared with native-born Canadians and identified explanatory covariables. We used a cross-sectional design with data from the national Canadian Health Measures Survey (Cycles 3 and 4) (11,579 participants aged 3-79 years). We assessed serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (S-25(OH)D) levels, sociodemographic and environmental factors, immigration status, length of time in Canada, vitD-rich food intake, ethnicity, and place of birth. Immigrants had lower mean S-25(OH)D than non-immigrants (51.23 vs. 62.72 nmol/L, p < 0.001). Those with younger age at the time of immigration (<18 years) had a high risk for low vitD, and S-25(OH)D levels increased with the length of time they had lived in Canada. The highest deficiency levels were in immigrants born in Morocco, India, and Lebanon compared with native-born Canadians. Ethnicity was the factor most strongly associated with S-25(OH)D. Compared with the white ethnic grouping, the Japanese had the highest level of vitD deficiency, followed by Arabs and Southeast Asians. Ethnic variations, dietary intake, and lifestyle factors are the main predictors of/explanatory factors for vitD status among Canadian immigrants.

Keywords: dietary intake; ethnicity; first-generation immigrants; melanin; serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D; vitamin D.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no personal or financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
Weighted prevalence of S-25(OH)D status for immigrants from different ethnic groups using Cycles 3 and 4 of Canadian Health Measures Survey data.
Figure A2
Figure A2
Weighted prevalence of S-25(OH)D status for immigrants by region of birth using Cycles 3 and 4 of Canadian Health Measures Survey data.
Figure A3
Figure A3
Weighted prevalence of S-25(OH)D status by country of birth using Cycles 3 and 4 of Canadian Health Measures Survey data.
Figure 1
Figure 1
Weighted mean S-25(OH)D (nmol/L)/month of test and percentage of change from the optimal level (75 nmol/L) using Cycles 3 and 4 of Canadian Health Measures Survey data († reference value * significant at p ≤ 0.05).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Weighted seasonal variation in mean S-25(OH)D (nmol/L) based on immigration status using Cycles 3 and 4 of Canadian Health Measures Survey data († reference value * significant at p ≤ 0.05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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