TY - JOUR AU - Leis, Karen S AU - McNally, J Dayre AU - Montgomery, Matthew R AU - Sankaran, Koravangattu AU - Karunanayake, Chandima AU - Rosenberg, Alan M PY - 2012 TI - Vitamin D intake in young children with acute lower respiratory infection JF - Translational Pediatrics; Vol 1, No 1 (July 09, 2012): Translational Pediatrics Y2 - 2012 KW - N2 - Objective: To determine if vitamin D intake is associated with acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) in children. Methods: The vitamin D intakes of children younger than 5 years of age admitted to hospital with either bronchiolitis or pneumonia were compared to an unmatched control group of the same age without respiratory infection. Caregivers of 197 children completed a questionnaire collecting information on demographic variables, ALRI risk factors and diet. Associations of ALRI with vitamin D intake and other ALRI risk factors were determined. Results: The mean vitamin D intake of children with ALRI was 48 IU/kg/d compared to 60 IU/kg/d in the control group. When controlling for age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, northern residence, breastfeeding, immunizations and smoking contact, children with a vitamin D intake of less than 80 IU/kg/d were greater than 4 times more likely to have ALRI compared to children with a vitamin D intake exceeding 80 IU/kg/day (OR 4.9, CI: 1.5, 16.4). Conclusions: A higher vitamin D intake than currently recommended might be needed to offer protection against diseases such as ALRI. Increased vitamin D supplementation could have important public health consequences, as bronchiolitis and pneumonia are the most common reasons for hospitalization in young children. UR - https://tp.amegroups.org/article/view/462