Associations Between Lipid Profiles and Vitamin A and D Deficiencies Among Children and Adolescents in Zhejiang Province, China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND

This study investigates the associations between lipid profiles, including triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and vitamin A (VA) and vitamin D (VD) deficiencies among children and adolescents in Zhejiang Province, China.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted from 2022 to 2024 and included 9039 children and adolescents aged 6-17 years who participated in the provincial nutrition surveillance in Zhejiang Province. Blood samples were collected to measure the concentrations of TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, VA and VD.

RESULTS

The prevalence of elevated TG, elevated TC, low HDL-C, and elevated LDL-C was 21.0%, 11.6%, 4.7% and 5.1% among children and adolescents aged 6-17 years, respectively. There were significant differences with respect to elevated TG and low HDL-C prevalence between sex (χ2 = 10.303 and 7.27, p = 0.006 and 0.026). There were significant differences with respect to elevated TC and low HDL-C prevalence between urban areas and rural areas (χ2 = 13.289 and 10.195, p = 0.001 and 0.006). There were significant differences with respect to elevated TG, elevated TC, low HDL-C, and elevated LDL-C prevalence among children with or without obesity/overweight (χ2 = 209.828, 58.54, 171.972, and 146.256, p < 0.001). There were significant differences with respect to elevated TC and low HDL-C prevalence among children with or without vitamin D deficiency/vitamin D insufficiency (χ2 = 33.37 and 56.848, p < 0.001). Ordinal regression analysis revealed that sex and obesity/overweight were associated with critical/abnormal TG (χ2 = 340.03, p < 0.001), sex, age group, location and obesity/overweight were associated with critical/abnormal TC (χ2 = 255.125, p < 0.001), age group, location, obesity/overweight and vitamin D deficiency/vitamin D insufficiency were associated with critical/abnormal HDL-C (χ2 = 458.527, p < 0.001), and age group, obesity/overweight were associated with critical/abnormal LDL-C (χ2 = 164.380, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated TG, elevated TC, low HDL-C, and elevated LDL-C are prevalent in this population, with notable differences based on sex, urban vs. rural residence, and obesity/overweight status. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency was linked to elevated TC and low HDL-C prevalence. Future interventions should focus on targeted public health strategies to mitigate these disparities and promote healthier lipid profiles in children and adolescents.