Open AccessThe Relationship between Vitamin D, Otitis Media, and Weight
Author(s) -
Weinreich Heather,
Daly Kathleen
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
otolaryngology–head and neck surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.232
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1097-6817
pISSN - 0194-5998
DOI - 10.1177/0194599811415823a371
Subject(s) - medicine , otitis , vitamin d and neurology , breastfeeding , logistic regression , percentile , prospective cohort study , overweight , demography , pediatrics , obesity , surgery , mathematics , statistics , sociology
Objective 1) Assess vitamin D levels as a predictor of history of recurrent otitis media (ROM), tube treatment, and weight‐for‐length (WFL). 2) Explore the relationship of vitamin D as a confounder in the relationship between OM and overweight status. Method Data were analyzed from a prospective cohort of mothers/children recruited between 1995 and 2002 from local HMO. ROM and tube status were obtained through physical exam and medical records, while WFL data was gathered from well‐child checks. Vitamin D levels were assayed from cord blood. Chi‐square and logistic regression were performed. Results A total of 47.9% of children had ROM, 13.2% received tubes. A total of 10.7% of children age 2 years had a WFL ≥ 95th percentile. A total of 56.7% of children had vitamin D levels below sufficient. Children with a sufficient vitamin D level were at greater risk of having a WFL ≥85th in multivariate analysis (OR 2.004, P =. 04); however, vitamin D status did not predict ROM or tube status. Children with history of tube treatment had a significantly increased risk of a WFL ≥95th percentile after controlling for family income, maternal prenatal smoking, maternal education, gender, birth season, breastfeeding status, daycare attendance, and vitamin D level (OR 3.69, P =. 01). Conclusion Vitamin D is not a predictor of ROM or tube status; however, children with a vitamin D status that is sufficient are more likely to be ≥85th WFL percentile. Vitamin D status is not a confounder in the relationship between a history of tube treatment and overweight status.