Effectiveness of the national vitamin D supplementation program: evaluation of children aged 0–3 years in Karabük province

BACKGROUND: In Turkey, free vitamin D drop supplementation is provided during the first 12 months after birth. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the National Vitamin D Supplementation Program among children aged 0-12 months in the Karabük province. METHODS: The study examined the vitamin D levels of children aged 0-36 months. Data were collected to assess the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and sufficiency within the age intervals of 0-12, 12-24, and 24-36 months. RESULTS: The findings revealed that the majority of children fail to attain the desired vitamin D levels. While only one-fourth of the patients attained adequate vitamin D levels within the first 12 months, this proportion progressively declined to one-tenth as they approached the 36th month. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Reforms are necessary in the current strategy for vitamin D supplementation, which is provided free of charge before the age of one. To enhance the effectiveness of the program, healthcare providers in primary care settings should play a central role. The new strategy should focus on a thorough explanation and, in particular, the implementation of a control mechanism. Such a mechanism can ensure oversight by encouraging reminders.