Vitamin D deficiency in kids

The AP (10/26, Tanner) reports that, according to a study published in Pediatrics, "at least one in five US children aged one to 11 don't get enough vitamin D and could be at risk for a variety of health problems, including weak bones." Harvard University researchers analyzed "data from a 2001-06 government health survey of nearly 3,000 children" who had undergone "blood tests measuring vitamin D levels." The investigators found that "about 20 percent of kids" under 12 had "blood levels that are too low." In addition, "applying a less strict, higher cutoff," the study authors found that "two-thirds of children that age, including 90 percent of black kids and 80 percent of Hispanics, are deficient in vitamin D."