Vitamin D Deficiency in Elderly Postmenopausal Women: The Role of Sunlight, Diet, and Vitamin D Status

Abstract

In Indonesia, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, especially in the geriatric female population. Vitamin D is crucial for postmenopausal (elderly) women to maintain bone density, prevent osteoporosis, and reduce the risk of falls due to muscle weakness. The study objective was to determine the influence of sunlight, dietary supplement intake, and physical activity on the risk of Vitamin D deficiency in elderly postmenopausal women. This study used a cross-sectional design and will be conducted from October-November 2024 at a nursing home in Surabaya. The respondent were elderly postmenopausal women (>60 years) who live in a nursing home in Surabaya, with no comorbidities that affect the ability to eat and do physical activities. The sampling technique in the study was purposive sampling. Their correlations were determined using the Spearman correlation test to identify the correlation between sun exposure, diet, and vitamin D status with vitamin D level. The average age of respondents was 63.47±73.25 years in 57 respondents. The average vitamin D level was 19.4667±6.67 ng/mL. Higher sun exposure leads to higher blood vitamin D levels. For dietary, indicating a significant relationship between higher egg and/or vitamin D supplement intake and increased blood vitamin D levels. Most respondents didn’t have low risk of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D level insufficiency was 29 people (50.88%). There was a significant relationship between sun exposure frequency, diet of egg, vitamin D supplements, and vitamin D status variable and vitamin D levels.