Bone Abstracts

Nutrition and physical activity are two main important factors influencing bone mineral mass accumulation during childhood and adolescence. Newcomer immigrant/refugee children are at a high risk of poor nutritional status. Vitamin D deficiency, in particular, and its related diseases is a major concern due to minimal sun exposure in countries in high latitude and limited dietary sources. Using Healthy Immigrant Children (HIC) polite data (n=72), we previously reported vitamin D and bone mineral status of sample of newcomer children. No large scale study is available in Canada to evaluate the relationship between nutrition, physical activity and bone mineral status on newcomer immigrant and refugee children.

Objective: To evaluate the association between nutrition, physical activity and bone mineral status in immigrant and refugee newcomer children to Canada.

Methods: In a cross-sectional design, we recruited 299 immigrant (n=133) and refugee (n=166) children aged 3–13 years who had been living in Saskatoon and Regina, Canada for no more than five years. Measurements included serum 25OHD using LC-MS/MS method, total body bone mineral content (TBBMC) using DXA, dietary assessment using three 24-h recalls, physical activity and USDA food security questionnaires.

Results: The mean age of children was 8.0±2.8 years. The rate of childhood food insecurity was 18.8% and 32.3% in immigrants and refugees respectively. Most children (83.7%) were meeting the recommended level of physical activity (≥60 min/day). Over 40% of children had the TBBMC lower than the predicted optimal values for their age, sex and ethnicity. We found 63.7% of participants had inadequate levels of serum vitamin D (<50 nmol/l) for bone health. Prevalence of inadequacy in vitamin D intake was 92%. In stepwise regression analyses, after controlling for all potential covariates; height and serum vitamin D status were found to be determinants of TBBMC (R²=0.82, P<0.001). Children who were taller and had significantly greater serum vitamin D also had greater TBBMC with β=0.93 for height and β=0.12 for serum vitamin D. In accordance with HIC polite data, a considerably high rate of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in newcomer immigrant and refugee children and its association with bone mineral mass during this important stage of life requires immediate preventive interventions to minimize the risk of serious vitamin D related diseases.

Disclosure: The authors declared no competing interests.