Vitamin D Status of New Zealand Adults

Summary

Vitamin D plays a key role in bone health. A deficiency in vitamin D can cause weak and softened bones, which can lead to rickets in children, and osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults.

This report found that, in 2008/09:

• the majority of New Zealand adults (68.1 percent) had good levels of vitamin D
• 4.9 percent of adults had vitamin D deficiency, including 0.2 percent of adults who had severe deficiency
• 27.1 percent of adults were below the recommended level of vitamin D but did not have a vitamin D deficiency.

The report presents further findings about vitamin D status, by sex, age group, ethnic group, socioeconomic status, body size, region and month, for adults aged 15 years and over.

The results use the new guideline levels for vitamin D for New Zealand, as outlined in the 'Consensus Statement on Vitamin D and Sun Exposure in New Zealand', released by the Ministry of Health and Cancer Society of New Zealand in 2012.