Who is at risk of vitamin D deficiency?

Some people are more at risk of low vitamin D and deficiency including: 

- People with naturally very dark skin; the pigment in their skin reduces UV penetration so they need more UV exposure to make vitamin D

- People with little or no sun exposure. This group includes:

• older adults, especially the frail, who are in medium to long-term residential care, or aged care, or are housebound
• people who wear concealing clothing for religious or cultural purposes
• people who deliberately avoid sun exposure for cosmetic or health reasons
• people at high risk of skin cancers
• people who are hospitalised long-term
• people with a disability or chronic disease
• people in occupations such as taxi drivers, factory workers and night - shift workers where they have limited incidental UV exposure throughout the day.

- Breast fed babies of mothers with other low vitamin D risk factors as listed above.

If you are concerned about your vitamin D levels, visit your doctor. Levels can be checked with a simple blood test.

Download the information sheet Vitamin D and UV radiation [pdf 113K] for more information. The information sheet is also available in languages other than English.

Resources for health professionals

The following resources are intended to assist health clinicians, health promotion providers and community workers in providing consistent messages about low vitamin D in the community.  It outlines population groups at risk of having low vitamin D, sun exposure and vitamin D, vitamin D treatment levels and follow-up, both in adults and children. 

Low vitamin D in Victoria: Key health promotion messages for community health workers [pdf 490K]

Low vitamin D in Victoria: Key health messages for doctors, nurses and allied health [525K]

Information about UV and vitamin D in other languages

• Email this page
• Print this article