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Vitamin D and Healthcare Service Utilization in Children: Insights from a Machine Learning Approach
- Source :
- Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol 11, Iss 23, p 7157 (2022)
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2022.
-
Abstract
- Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency is a global health issue: an association has been demonstrated between vitamin D deficiency and a myriad of acute and chronic illnesses. Data regarding vitamin D status among children hospitalized with non-critical illnesses are scanty. We aimed to: (1) identify profiles of children hospitalized due to non-critical illnesses, using vitamin D levels as the driving outcome; (2) assess the association between patient profiles and length of stay. The study included 854 patients (1–17 years old) who underwent blood tests for detecting vitamin D levels. A regression tree was used to stratify patients. The relationship between vitamin D levels and length of stay was explored using Poisson regression. The regression tree identified three subgroups. Group A (16%): African, North African, Hispanic, and Indian patients. Group B (62%): Caucasian and Asian patients hospitalized for respiratory, metabolic, ill-defined, infective, and genitourinary diseases. Group C (22%): Caucasian and Asian patients hospitalized for digestive, nervous, and musculoskeletal diseases, blood and skin diseases, and injuries. Mean serum vitamin D level (ng/mL) was 13.7 (SD = 9.4) in Group A, 20.5 (10.0) in Group B, and 26.2 (12.6) in Group C. Group B was associated with the highest BMI z-score (p < 0.001) and the highest frequency of preterm births (p = 0.041). Mean length of stay was longer in Group A than in the other groups (p < 0.001) and decreased significantly by 9.8% (p = 0.024) in Group A and by 5% (p = 0.029) in Group B per 10 ng/mL increase in vitamin D level. We identified three subgroups of hospitalized children, defined according to ethnicity and discharge diagnosis, and characterized by increasing vitamin D levels. Vitamin D levels were associated with length of hospitalization.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20770383
- Volume :
- 11
- Issue :
- 23
- Database :
- Directory of Open Access Journals
- Journal :
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- edsdoj.23b14421be234820967dcbfee21cac7d
- Document Type :
- article
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11237157