ArticleBMJ open2019
Vitamin D prescribing in children in UK primary care practices: a population-based cohort study.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions to improve vitamin D status in at-risk ethnic groups during pregnancy and early childhood: a systematic review.Public health nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Article
- Vitamin D status and its determinants among Chinese infants and toddlers in Hong Kong.European journal of nutrition · 2025Article
- The Sunshine Paradox: Unraveling Risk Factors for Low Vitamin D Status Among Non-Pregnant Women in Lebanon.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Hypervitaminosis D and nephrocalcinosis: too much of a good thing?Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany) · 2022Article
- Adjunctive vitamin D therapy in various diseases in children: a scenario according to standard guideline.BMC pediatrics · 2022Observational
- Trends in Vitamin D Status Around the World.JBMR plus · 2021Article
- Stable Rates of Low Vitamin D Status Among Children Despite Increased Testing: A Population-Based Study.The Journal of pediatrics · 2021Article
- Improving Vitamin D Intake in Young Children-Can an Infographic Help Parents and Carers Understand the Recommendations?Nutrients · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo examine temporal changes in the incidence and patterns of vitamin D supplementation prescribing by general practitioners (GPs) between 2008 and 2016.
designPopulation-based cohort study.
settingUK general practice health records from The Health Improvement Network.
participantsChildren aged 0 to 17 years who were registered with their general practices for at least 3 months. OUTCOME MEASURES: Annual incidence rates of vitamin D prescriptions were calculated, and rate ratios were estimated using multivariable Poisson regression to explore differences by sociodemographic factors. Data on the type of supplementation, dose, dosing schedule, linked 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) laboratory test results and clinical symptoms suggestive of vitamin D deficiency were analysed.
resultsAmong 2 million children, the crude annual incidence of vitamin D prescribing increased by 26-fold between 2008 and 2016 rising from 10.8 (95% CI: 8.9 to 13.1) to 276.8 (95% CI: 264.3 to 289.9) per 100 000 person-years. Older children, non-white ethnicity and general practices in England (compared with Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland) were independently associated with higher rates of prescribing. Analyses of incident prescriptions showed inconsistent supplementation regimens with an absence of pre-supplementation 25(OH)D concentrations in 28.7% to 56.4% of prescriptions annually. There was an increasing trend in prescribing at pharmacological doses irrespective of 25(OH)D concentrations, deviating in part from UK recommendations. Prescribing at pharmacological doses for children with deficient status increased from 3.8% to 79.4%, but the rise was also observed in children for whom guidelines recommended prevention doses (0% to 53%). Vitamin D supplementation at pharmacological doses was also prescribed in at least 40% of children with no pre-supplementation 25(OH)D concentrations annually.
conclusionsThere has been a marked and sustained increase in vitamin D supplementation prescribing in children in UK primary care. Our data suggests that national guidelines on vitamin D supplementation for children are not consistently followed by GPs.
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