Compliance with the Netherlands' vitamin D supplementation recommendation for three at-risk groups: young children, women over 50 years, and elderly.

purposeTo prevent vitamin D deficiency subgroups are advised to daily take a vitamin D supplement. Knowledge on the compliance with this recommendation is limited. For young children, women over 50 yrs, and elderly, the supplementation recommendation is independent of sunlight exposure. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate compliance with the supplementation recommendation for these groups.

methodsData on young children (1-3 yrs, n = 703), women (50-69 yrs, n = 451), and elderly (70-79 yrs, n = 331) from the Dutch National Food and Consumption Survey (DNFCS) 2019-2021 were analysed for vitamin D-containing supplement use. With a general questionnaire (GQ) information was collected on frequency of use of sub-types of supplements (e.g. vitamin D, vitamin D & calcium, multivitamin, multivitamins-minerals). In two 24-h dietary recalls, use of supplements was reported in detail; e.g. type and dosage.

results71% of young children, 38% of women, and 40% of elderly reported use of vitamin D-containing supplements (GQ: 80%, 55%, and 50%, respectively). Among supplement users, 70% of young children, 30% of women, and 35% of elderly used exactly the advised dosage.

conclusionCompliance with vitamin D supplementation recommendation was high in young children and could be improved most among women over 50 years and elderly. Further research is needed to identify effective strategies to improve compliance in these groups. In addition, to ensure that the supplementation recommendations are effective in achieving adequate vitamin D status, regular monitoring of vitamin D status and related health outcomes in all target groups is warranted.