Research and Scholarship

Asian and Pacific Islanders Show Elevated Vitamin D Deficiency

U.S. API population faces nearly three times higher risk compared to white population

December 03, 2024

KPSOM Faculty Members Catherine Lee and Joan Chia-Mei Lo

KPSOM Faculty Members Catherine Lee and Joan Chia-Mei Lo

A recent study reveals that older Asian and Pacific Islander (API) adults in the United States are significantly more likely to have low vitamin D levels compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) adults. The research, conducted among a large and racially diverse group of patients in California, analyzed over 100,000 API adults and 380,000 NHW adults aged 50 to 89. API adults were found to have 1.5 to 2.7 times higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.

Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine (KPSOM) faculty members Catherine Lee, PhD, former Associate Professor of Health Systems Science, and Joan Chia-Mei Lo, MD, MS, Professor of Health Systems Science, coauthored the study, “Prevalence of low vitamin D levels among older US Asian and Pacific Islander adults, published by Osteoporosis International.

The study also highlights substantial variation within API subgroups. Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander men and women had the highest rates of deficiency, with 35 percent and 26 percent affected, respectively. Other variables that were considered in the study are age, smoking, BMI, and season of measurement.

Read the article here .