This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and physical activity in adolescents using data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES). The serum vitamin D concentrations were measured between 2008 and 2014 and analyzed. Adolescents aged 13 to 18 years comprised 4527 of the 61,370 participants surveyed. A final dataset including 2811 adolescents was obtained after those with missing data were excluded. Those who did not participate or only participated in 1−3 days of intense physical activity (p < 0.001), moderate physical activity (p = 0.002), and muscular exercise (weight training) (p < 0.001) showed a higher level of vitamin D deficiency than those who performed the same activities 4−7 days per week. Our results showed that most of the adolescents (76%) were vitamin D-deficient, and the risk was higher among high school than middle school students (odds ratio (OR) = 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.40−2.06; p < 0.001) and higher in girls than boys (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.18−1.72; p < 0.001). Reduced participation in physical activity was correlated with vitamin D deficiency. Furthermore, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a lower frequency of participation in all forms of physical activity, and the association increased significantly with an increase in body mass index.
Keywords: KNHANES; adolescents; physical activity; vitamin D deficiency.