Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency in Mothers and Their Newborns at Kenyatta National Hospital Maternity Ward

Abstract

Background: Suboptimal Vitamin D level is an increasing problem in women of childbearing age and is one of the concerns that expectant mothers are vulnerable to. Sub-optimal vitamin D levels has been associated with approximately 14% of maternal deaths and other complications such as preeclampsia, perinatal mortality, low birth weight, and respiratory distress. Therefore, there is a need to understand the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in mothers and their babies and the underlying factors. The objective of the study: To determine the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in neonates and their mothers at the Kenyatta National Hospital Maternity. Methods: The study employed a comparative cross-sectional research design. Consecutive sampling method was used to recruit 180 study respondents and their newborns from the maternity ward of Kenyatta National Hospital. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Blood samples were obtained from the mother, while cord blood was obtained to investigate vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in neonates. Binary logistic regression and Pearson correlation analysis were performed using SPSS version 25. The level of significance was assessed at 0.05. Results: The results from the study showed that mothers who were involved in the study had a mean age of 29.84 (SD±5.73) years, 44.4% of them had secondary level education, 40.65% were self-employed, and 79.4% were married. The mean monthly income was $199 (SD±9.69). In investigating Vitamin D status among mothers, the prevalence of vitamin d deficiency/insufficiency among mothers was 30.5% (n =55) where 9.4% (n =17) and 21.1% (n =38) had Vitamin D Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency, respectively. The findings from the neonates revealed that 60% were male, 81.7% had a birth weight of ≥2500g. Among neonates, the findings showed that, 12.3% of the neonates had suboptimal Vitamin D levels where 1.7% (n =3) had Vitamin D deficiency while 10.6% (n =19) had Vitamin D insufficiency. Age of the mother, p<0.0001, AOR =5.761, 95% CI (2.689, 12.34), monthly income (less than Ksh.20,000), P = 0.019, AOR =2.514, 95%CI (1.205, 5.341), parity, p<0.0001, AOR =3.244, 95% CI (0.564, 18.66) and gravidity, p= 0.008, AOR =2.395, 95% CI (0.934, 6.140) were independent predictors of suboptimal maternal Vitamin D levels. Neonatal birth weight, >1500g OR = 9.909, 95%CI (6.601, 13.170), and maternal Vitamin D levels, OR = 7.833, 95%CI (1.299, 47.237) were predictors of suboptimal vitamin D levels in neonates. Conclusion and recommendation: The findings have shown that vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency is still a problem that needs to be effectively controlled. There is a need to ensure that expectant mothers check their Vitamin D levels to protect themselves and their unborn babies. There is a need to educate mothers and create awareness on Vitamin D and its sources. Further research is required to investigate the direct impact of sun exposure on Vitamin D deficiency among women in an urban setting.