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Results from the online follow-up questionnaire of 123 healthy women aged 44 to 65 from the Central Slovenian region, included in the follow-up study carried out between October and November 2022 (n=123)_
| Variables | Category/Unit | Total n=123 | Supplementers n=76 | Non-supplementers n=47 | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D supplementation | |||||
| Supplement use (≥5 μg vitamin D/d) | 61.8% | 100,0% | 0.0% | ||
| Supplemental intake | μg/d | 21.6±25.9 | 34.9±24.9 | 0.12±0.7 | <0.001 t |
| COVID-19 related changes in lifestyle and vitamin D supplementation | |||||
| Started/increased vitamin D supplementation | 61.0% | 63.2% | 57.4% | 0.522 z | |
| COVID-19 impact on time spent outside | No impact | 51.2% | 51.3% | 51.1% | 0.984 z |
| Increased | 37.4% | 38.2% | 36.2% | 0.826 z | |
| Decreased | 11.4% | 10.5% | 12.8% | 0.697 z | |
| Effect of participation in study on vitamin D supplementation | No effect | 51.8% | 42.0% | 62.8% | 0.026 z |
| Positive effect | 48.2% | 57.8% | 37.2% | 0.026 z | |
Population characteristics, vitamin D status, supplementation and food intake of healthy women aged 44 to 65, from the Central Slovenian region_ The study was carried out between March and May 2021 (n=176)_
| Variables | Category/Unit | Total n=176 | Supplementers n=108 | Non-supplementers n=68 | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | year | 53.8±5.0 | 54.3±4.8 | 53.1±5.2 | 0.120 t |
| Menstrual status | Premenopause | 39.2% | 34.3% | 47.1% | 0.091z |
| Postmenopause | 60.8% | 65.7% | 52.9% | 0.091z | |
| BMI (self-reported) | kg/m2 | 25.7±4.4 | 25.5±4.2 | 26.1±4.6 | 0.375 t |
| Smoking | Current smoker | 13.1% | 13.0% | 22.1% | 0.114 z |
| Education (ISCED) | Primary (L1) | 3.4% | 1.9% | 5.9% | |
| Secondary (L2-3) | 29.0% | 27.8% | 30.9% | ||
| Short-cycle tertiary (L5) | 14.2% | 14.8% | 13.2% | ||
| Bachelor’s or eq. (L6) | 13.6% | 13.0% | 14.7% | ||
| Master’s or eq. (L7) | 29.0% | 31.5% | 25.0% | ||
| Doctoral or eq. (L8) | 10.8% | 11.1% | 10.3% | ||
| Time spent outside | min | 53.3±17.7 | 54.3±16.4 | 51.8±19.6 | 0.363 t |
| Moderate physical activity | h/week | 3.2±4.2 | 3.0±3.3 | 3.5±5.4 | 0.447 t |
| Sunscreen use | 90.9% | 92.6% | 88.2% | 0.322 z | |
| Suntanning habits | High exposure | 6.8% | 4.6% | 10.3% | 0.1443 z |
| Medium exposure | 64.2% | 58.3% | 73.5% | 0.040 z | |
| Low exposure | 29.0% | 37.0% | 16.2% | 0.003 z | |
| Laboratory analysis | |||||
| 25(OH)D | nmol/L | 66.4±27.4 | 76.2±27.1 | 50.8±19.6 | <0.001 t |
| <30 | 8.5% | 3.7% | 16.2% | 0.004 z | |
| 30-50 | 15.9% | 6.5% | 30.9% | <0.001 z | |
| 50-75 | 43.2% | 44.4% | 41.2% | 0.675 z | |
| >75 | 32.4% | 45.4% | 11.8% | <0.001 z | |
| DBP | mg/L | 576±436 | 608±485 | 526±342 | 0.226 t |
| Albumin | g/L | 47.1±2.2 | 47.5±2.2 | 46.5±2.1 | 0.003 t |
| Bioavailable 25(OH)D | nmol/L | 5.7±4.5 | 6.7±4.9 | 4.3±3.1 | <0.001 t |
| Vitamin D intake and supplementation | |||||
| Food intake (μg/d) | 2.2±1.3 | 2.2±1.4 | 2.1±1.2 | 0.627 t | |
| Supplement use (≥5 μg vitamin D/d) | 61.4% | 100,0% | 0.0% | ||
| Supplemental intake (μg/d) | 21.7±26.2 | 35.4±25.3 | 0±0.08 | <0.001 t | |
| Intake all sources (μg/d) | 24.1±26.2 | 37.6±25.2 | 2.5±3.3 | <0.001 t | |