risk factors and prevalence of vitamin d deficiency among iranian women attending two university hospitals

background several studies indicated that there is a high prevalence of vitamin d deficiency in middle east countries. objectives the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and assess some risk factors of vitamin d deficiency among women attending our clinics in tehran, the capital of iran. patients and methods five hundred and thirty-eight women aged 20-80 years were entered in this cross-sectional study from 2011 to 2012. serum 25-hydroxy vitamin d levels were measured in all participants after recruiting their demographic and anthropometric data and past medical histories. deficiency was defined as levels less than 35 nmol/l and classified as mild (≥ 25 nmol/l), moderate (12.5-25 nmol/l) and severe (≤ 12.5 nmol/l). results the prevalence of vitamin d deficiency was 69%; mild, moderate and severe degrees were seen in %10.4, %38.3, and %20.3 respectively. analysis of logistic regression shows that age (or:0.96, ci: 0.93-0.97), menopause (or: 0.44, ci: 0.21-0.99) and consumption of multivitamin supplements (or: 2.67, ci: 1.4-5) were independent predictive factors for vitamin d deficiency. conclusions this study showed a high prevalence of vitamin d deficiency among iranian women especially in reproductive ages.