RCHC Community Project Abstracts

Vitamin D Explained: Question and Answer Handouts
Date of project: 8/3/2009

Vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency is estimated to be a common condition in the U.S. population. Long-term bone health is the most common context for vitamin D deficiency discussions, but there is a growing body of literature associating vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency with other health issues including cardiovascular disease, fall prevention, cancer, multiple sclerosis, depression, diabetes, hypertension, all cause mortality, and health costs. The prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy, and the associated health concerns, in combination with my own experiences, has led me to conclude that public knowledge regarding vitamin D could be improved. In an effort to help patients educate themselves, as well as solidify my own understanding for use in patient encounters, I developed two vitamin D question and answer handouts for use by patients and/or providers; one in brief and one with more detail including references for people wanting additional information. These handouts include a basic overview of vitamin D function, health considerations, deficiency/insufficiency risk factors, deficiency/insufficiency prevalence, dietary sources, and intake recommendations.

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