Vitamin D in School Children

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER · Aug 23, 2021

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Vitamin D in School Children," aims to understand how much vitamin D school children in Northern Ireland have in their bodies and whether a daily supplement can help. The study is focused on children aged 4 to 11 years who are generally healthy. Researchers want to find out how common vitamin D deficiency is among these kids and see if taking a vitamin D3 supplement of 10 micrograms (µg) each day for 12 weeks can improve their vitamin D levels. They are particularly interested in how vitamin D might affect children's overall health, including their growth, bone health, and even their thinking skills.

To participate in this trial, children must be healthy and attend school in Northern Ireland. However, children who are on long-term medication, have serious health conditions, or have recently taken vitamin D supplements cannot join. Additionally, those using tanning beds or planning to travel to sunny places during the study period will also be excluded. If eligible, participants can expect to be closely monitored to see how their vitamin D levels change and how it might affect their health. This study is crucial because it fills a gap in research about vitamin D in children, an area that hasn't been thoroughly explored before.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Healthy children aged 4-11 years attending school in Northern Ireland.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Any children on long-term prescription medication; and/or diagnosed with a long-term or exacerbated health condition or disease (does not exclude children with minor or mild health conditions).
• • Those previously taking a vitamin D supplement and those not willing to abstain from starting vitamin D supplements.
• • Those using home sun beds.
• • Those who are planning a family holiday to a sunny country (latitudes below 37°N) during the duration of the intervention.