# An Adapted Questionnaire Tailored for Assessing the Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency in Children That Is Proving Useful in Guiding Clinical Interventions

## TL;DR

A questionnaire called EVIDENCe-Q was adapted to assess vitamin D deficiency risk in children and found to be useful for guiding clinical decisions.

## Contribution

The EVIDENCe-Q questionnaire was refined and validated for detecting vitamin D deficiency in children using specific cut-off scores.

## Key findings

- A score of 20 or higher on the EVIDENCe-Q effectively distinguishes vitamin D deficiency from sufficiency in children.
- The questionnaire showed 100% sensitivity for identifying severe vitamin D deficiency.
- The study validated the EVIDENCe-Q as a practical tool for clinical intervention decisions in pediatric vitamin D deficiency.

## Abstract

Background: The identification of vitamin D (VitD) deficiency in pediatric populations is essential for preventive healthcare. We refined and tested the Evaluation of Deficiency Questionnaire (EVIDENCe-Q) for its utility in detecting VitD insufficiency among children. Patients and methods: We enrolled 201 pediatric patients (aged between 3 and 18 years). Clinical evaluation and serum vitamin D levels were assessed in all subjects. The EVIDENCe-Q was updated to incorporate factors influencing VitD biosynthesis, intake, assimilation, and metabolism, with scores spanning from 0 (optimal) to 36 (poor). Results: We established scores for severe deficiency (<10 mg/dL) at 20, deficiency (<20 mg/dL) at 22, and insufficiency (<30 mg/dL) at 28. A score of 20 or greater was determined as the optimal cut-off for distinguishing VitD deficient from sufficient statuses, as evidenced by ROC curve analysis AUC = 0.7066; SE = 0.0841; sensitivity 100%, 95% CI 0.561–1. The most accurate alignment was seen with VitD insufficiency, defined as 25-OH-D3 < 20 ng/mL. Conclusions: This study confirms that the EVIDENCe-Q is a valid instrument for assessing the risk of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in children. It offers a practical approach for determining the need for clinical intervention and dietary supplementation of VitD in the pediatric population.