Low calcium and vitamin D intake in Korean women over 50 years of age

Inadequate calcium and vitamin D intake is a possible risk factor of osteoporosis. Our purposes were to estimate calcium and vitamin D intake in Korean women, and to determine associated risk factors for low calcium and vitamin D intake. This is a multicenter, hospital-based, and cross-sectional study on osteoporosis. In this study, 1516 women of 50 years or older were involved. Dietary calcium and vitamin D intake were evaluated using the self-reporting KCAT questionnaire. Average daily calcium intake was 662.8 ± 473.8 mg, and vitamin D intake 9.5 ± 10.7 μg. In multivariate analysis, older age (OR 1.02, 95 % CI 1.00–1.04, p = 0.001), and rural residence (OR 2.43, 95 % CI 1.34–4.43, p = 0.004) were significant risk factors for lower calcium intake, and older age (OR 1.03, 95 % CI 1.02–1.04, p < 0.001), and rural residence (OR 1.85, 95 % CI 1.10–3.11, p < 0.001) were significant risk factors for lower vitamin D intake. About 70 % of women aged 50 years or older had calcium and vitamin D intake below the recommended dietary intake. Older age and rural residence were significant risk factors for lower calcium and vitamin D intake in Korean women.