Background. Vitamin D is essential for skeletal growth, but there are currently no guidelines
for vitamin D supplementation after infancy. This study investigates vitamin D insufficiency in
healthy children. Methods. Children ages 10 to 16 years from 3 private schools in Beirut,
Lebanon, with differing socioeconomic status (SES) were studied: 169 in the spring of 1999
and 177 in the following fall; 83 students participated in both study phases. They had a
physical examination, answered a dietary questionnaire, and blood was drawn for …