Academic Journal
View in EDS

COVID-19 home confinement & vitamin D levels alteration.

Bibliographic Details
Title: COVID-19 home confinement & vitamin D levels alteration.
Authors: Rahmati AR; Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran., Kheder RK; Medical Laboratory Science Department, College of Science, University of Raparin, Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq; Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq., Faraj TA; Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq; Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq., Najmaldin SK; Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq., Mollazadeh S; Natural Products and Medicinal Plants Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran., Fadaee A; Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran., Haghmorad D; Department of Immunology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Cancer Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran., Esmaeili SA; Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: Imunoman2009@gmail.com.
Source: Journal of infection and public health [J Infect Public Health] 2026 Aug; Vol. 19 (8), pp. 103304. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 08.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101487384 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1876-035X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 18760341 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Infect Public Health Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Original Publication: Oxford : Elsevier, 2008-
MeSH Terms: COVID-19*/epidemiology , COVID-19*/blood , COVID-19*/prevention & control , Vitamin D Deficiency*/epidemiology , Vitamin D Deficiency*/blood , Vitamin D*/blood , Cholecalciferol*/blood, Iran/epidemiology ; Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Prevalence ; Aged
Abstract: Background: Home confinement and lifestyle changes resulted in inadequate sunlight exposure and limited vitamin D intake during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aimed to elucidate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vitamin D3 status during home confinement.
Methods: This retrospective repeated cross-sectional laboratory-based study enrolled 9,686 individuals from northeastern Iran. Vitamin D3 levels were measured in various phases: pre-COVID-19 in 2019, during the pandemic in 2020, and following the initiation of COVID-19 vaccination in 2021.
Results: A predominant portion of the population exhibited insufficient levels of vitamin D in all three time points (P<0.001). The mean concentration of vitamin D3 was higher in females than in males in all periods. A significant upward trend in the mean concentration was found from 35±19 ng/mL in the pre-COVID-19 period to 38±16 ng/mL after the initiation of vaccination, particularly in severe deficiency and insufficiency subgroups (P<0.01). There was a significant gradual downward trend in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency dropping from 19% in the pre-COVID-19 period to 12% during the pandemic and further down to 9% following the initiation of vaccination (P<0.001).
Conclusion: This large population-based study showed that mean serum vitamin D concentrations increased during and after the COVID-19 pandemic period, while the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency decreased over time. These findings indicate a temporal change in vitamin D status across different phases of the pandemic.
(Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: COVID-19; Iran; SARS-CoV-2; Vitamin D deficiency
Substance Nomenclature: 1406-16-2 (Vitamin D)
1C6V77QF41 (Cholecalciferol)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260711 Date Completed: 20260717 Latest Revision: 20260717
Update Code: 20260718
DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2026.103304
PMID: 42435713
Database: MEDLINE
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
  – Url: https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2026.103304?
    Name: ScienceDirect (all content) (s7799221)
    Category: fullText
    Text: View record from ScienceDirect
    MouseOverText: View record from ScienceDirect
  – Url: https://resolver.ebsco.com/c/fiv2js/result?sid=EBSCO:cmedm&genre=article&issn=1876035X&ISBN=&volume=19&issue=8&date=20260801&spage=103304&pages=103304&title=Journal of infection and public health&atitle=COVID-19%20home%20confinement%20%26%20vitamin%20D%20levels%20alteration.&aulast=Rahmati%20AR&id=DOI:10.1016/j.jiph.2026.103304
    Name: Full Text Finder (for New FTF UI) (ns324271)
    Category: fullText
    Text: Full Text Finder
    MouseOverText: Full Text Finder
Header DbId: cmedm
DbLabel: MEDLINE
An: 42435713
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: COVID-19 home confinement &amp; vitamin D levels alteration.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Rahmati+AR%22&quot;&gt;Rahmati AR&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Kheder+RK%22&quot;&gt;Kheder RK&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Medical Laboratory Science Department, College of Science, University of Raparin, Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq; Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Faraj+TA%22&quot;&gt;Faraj TA&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq; Department of Basic Sciences, College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Najmaldin+SK%22&quot;&gt;Najmaldin SK&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Department of Medical Analysis, Faculty of Applied Science, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Mollazadeh+S%22&quot;&gt;Mollazadeh S&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Natural Products and Medicinal Plants Research Center, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Fadaee+A%22&quot;&gt;Fadaee A&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Haghmorad+D%22&quot;&gt;Haghmorad D&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Department of Immunology, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran; Cancer Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;AU&quot; term=&quot;%22Esmaeili+SA%22&quot;&gt;Esmaeili SA&lt;/searchLink&gt;; Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: Imunoman2009@gmail.com.
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;JN&quot; term=&quot;%22101487384%22&quot;&gt;Journal of infection and public health&lt;/searchLink&gt; [J Infect Public Health] 2026 Aug; Vol. 19 (8), pp. 103304. &lt;i&gt;Date of Electronic Publication: &lt;/i&gt;2026 Jul 08.
– Name: TypePub
  Label: Publication Type
  Group: TypPub
  Data: Journal Article
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Journal Info
  Group: Src
  Data: &lt;i&gt;Publisher: &lt;/i&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;PB&quot; term=&quot;%22Elsevier%22&quot;&gt;Elsevier &lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;i&gt;Country of Publication: &lt;/i&gt;England &lt;i&gt;NLM ID: &lt;/i&gt;101487384 &lt;i&gt;Publication Model: &lt;/i&gt;Print-Electronic &lt;i&gt;Cited Medium: &lt;/i&gt;Internet &lt;i&gt;ISSN: &lt;/i&gt;1876-035X (Electronic) &lt;i&gt;Linking ISSN: &lt;/i&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;IS&quot; term=&quot;%2218760341%22&quot;&gt;18760341 &lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;i&gt;NLM ISO Abbreviation: &lt;/i&gt;J Infect Public Health &lt;i&gt;Subsets: &lt;/i&gt;MEDLINE
– Name: PublisherInfo
  Label: Imprint Name(s)
  Group: PubInfo
  Data: &lt;i&gt;Original Publication&lt;/i&gt;: Oxford : Elsevier, 2008-
– Name: SubjectMESH
  Label: MeSH Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22COVID-19%22&quot;&gt;COVID-19*&lt;/searchLink&gt;/&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22COVID-19+epidemiology%22&quot;&gt;epidemiology&lt;/searchLink&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22COVID-19%22&quot;&gt;COVID-19*&lt;/searchLink&gt;/&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22COVID-19+blood%22&quot;&gt;blood&lt;/searchLink&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22COVID-19%22&quot;&gt;COVID-19*&lt;/searchLink&gt;/&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22COVID-19+prevention+%26+control%22&quot;&gt;prevention &amp; control&lt;/searchLink&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22Vitamin+D+Deficiency%22&quot;&gt;Vitamin D Deficiency*&lt;/searchLink&gt;/&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22Vitamin+D+Deficiency+epidemiology%22&quot;&gt;epidemiology&lt;/searchLink&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22Vitamin+D+Deficiency%22&quot;&gt;Vitamin D Deficiency*&lt;/searchLink&gt;/&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22Vitamin+D+Deficiency+blood%22&quot;&gt;blood&lt;/searchLink&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22Vitamin+D%22&quot;&gt;Vitamin D*&lt;/searchLink&gt;/&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22Vitamin+D+blood%22&quot;&gt;blood&lt;/searchLink&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22Cholecalciferol%22&quot;&gt;Cholecalciferol*&lt;/searchLink&gt;/&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MM&quot; term=&quot;%22Cholecalciferol+blood%22&quot;&gt;blood&lt;/searchLink&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Iran%22&quot;&gt;Iran&lt;/searchLink&gt;/&lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Iran+epidemiology%22&quot;&gt;epidemiology&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Humans%22&quot;&gt;Humans&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Cross-Sectional+Studies%22&quot;&gt;Cross-Sectional Studies&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Retrospective+Studies%22&quot;&gt;Retrospective Studies&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Female%22&quot;&gt;Female&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Male%22&quot;&gt;Male&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Adult%22&quot;&gt;Adult&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Middle+Aged%22&quot;&gt;Middle Aged&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22SARS-CoV-2%22&quot;&gt;SARS-CoV-2&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Prevalence%22&quot;&gt;Prevalence&lt;/searchLink&gt; ; &lt;searchLink fieldCode=&quot;MH&quot; term=&quot;%22Aged%22&quot;&gt;Aged&lt;/searchLink&gt;
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Background: Home confinement and lifestyle changes resulted in inadequate sunlight exposure and limited vitamin D intake during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aimed to elucidate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vitamin D3 status during home confinement.&lt;br /&gt;Methods: This retrospective repeated cross-sectional laboratory-based study enrolled 9,686 individuals from northeastern Iran. Vitamin D3 levels were measured in various phases: pre-COVID-19 in 2019, during the pandemic in 2020, and following the initiation of COVID-19 vaccination in 2021.&lt;br /&gt;Results: A predominant portion of the population exhibited insufficient levels of vitamin D in all three time points (P&amp;lt;0.001). The mean concentration of vitamin D3 was higher in females than in males in all periods. A significant upward trend in the mean concentration was found from 35&#177;19 ng/mL in the pre-COVID-19 period to 38&#177;16 ng/mL after the initiation of vaccination, particularly in severe deficiency and insufficiency subgroups (P&amp;lt;0.01). There was a significant gradual downward trend in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency dropping from 19% in the pre-COVID-19 period to 12% during the pandemic and further down to 9% following the initiation of vaccination (P&amp;lt;0.001).&lt;br /&gt;Conclusion: This large population-based study showed that mean serum vitamin D concentrations increased during and after the COVID-19 pandemic period, while the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency decreased over time. These findings indicate a temporal change in vitamin D status across different phases of the pandemic.&lt;br /&gt; (Copyright &#169; 2026 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Competing Interests
  Group: Ab
  Data: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
– Name: SubjectMinor
  Label: Contributed Indexing
  Group:
  Data: &lt;i&gt;Keywords: &lt;/i&gt;COVID-19; Iran; SARS-CoV-2; Vitamin D deficiency
– Name: NumberCAS
  Label: Substance Nomenclature
  Group: ID
  Data: 1406-16-2 (Vitamin D)&lt;br /&gt;1C6V77QF41 (Cholecalciferol)
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date(s)
  Group: Date
  Data: &lt;i&gt;Date Created: &lt;/i&gt;20260711 &lt;i&gt;Date Completed: &lt;/i&gt;20260717 &lt;i&gt;Latest Revision: &lt;/i&gt;20260717
– Name: DateUpdate
  Label: Update Code
  Group: Date
  Data: 20260718
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1016/j.jiph.2026.103304
– Name: AN
  Label: PMID
  Group: ID
  Data: 42435713
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=cmedm&AN=42435713
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.jiph.2026.103304
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        StartPage: 103304
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Iran epidemiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Humans
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cross-Sectional Studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Retrospective Studies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Female
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Male
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Adult
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Middle Aged
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: SARS-CoV-2
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Prevalence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aged
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: COVID-19 epidemiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: COVID-19 blood
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: COVID-19 prevention & control
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vitamin D Deficiency epidemiology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vitamin D Deficiency blood
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Vitamin D blood
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cholecalciferol blood
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: COVID-19 home confinement & vitamin D levels alteration.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Rahmati AR
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Kheder RK
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Faraj TA
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Najmaldin SK
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Mollazadeh S
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Fadaee A
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Haghmorad D
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Esmaeili SA
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 08
              Text: 2026 Aug
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1876-035X
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 19
            – Type: issue
              Value: 8
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Journal of infection and public health
              Type: main
ResultId 1