Bone mineral density of Inuit preschoolers in the Arctic Table II. Comparison of selected characteristics by broadband ultrasound attenuation of Inuit preschool children: Nunavut Inuit Child Health Survey, 2007 2008 Nutrients/foods/characteristicsa,b Median [IQR] Anthropometryc,d BMI (kg/m2) BMI for age z-score Weight for age z-score Height for age z-score Dietaryc,e Vitamin D (mg/d) Calcium (mg/d) Energy (Kcal/d) Total protein (g/d) Total fat intake (g/d) MUFA intake (g/d) PUFA intake (g/d) SFA intake (g/d) Biochemistryc 25(OH)D (nmol/L) Lifestylec The number of hours spent outside (h/d) Broadband ultrasound attenuation (Ddb/DMHz) Quartile 1 32.5 [30.2 34.5] (n 71) 17.091.1x 1.292.3x 0.693.3x 0.394.0 (n 69) 5.790.9 795971 17649104 63.191.9 52.592.0 19.492.9 8.191.4 18.292.2 (n 55) 41.791.9 (n 67) 2.192.5 Quartile 2 38.4 [37.2 39.5] (n 71) 18.291.1x,y 1.692.0x,y 0.892.9x,z 0.493.1 (n 69) 5.791.2 829994 1789976 64.691.9 53.091.8 21.492.2 8.591.0 19.091.6 (n 55) 44.791.7 (n 67) 2.292.3 Quartile 3 52.3 [49.6 59.9] (n 70) 18.691.1y,z 1.792.2x,y 1.292.2y,z 0.493.0 (n 69) 4.490.9 734974 1689964 63.191.7 47.991.7 18.891.5 7.490.8 18.191.6 (n 55) 47.991.7 (n 67) 2.092.4 Quartile 4 52.3 [49.6 59.9] (n 71) 19.591.1z 2.291.7y 1.392.3y,z 0.493.1 (n 69) 5.891.1 918966 1892968 63.191.8 57.591.7 22.691.9 9.591.1 19.991.6 (n 54) 44.791.7 (n 67) 2.292.3 aData were log-transformed or square rooted before statistical analysis. bValues are median [IQR] and geometric means9SD. For a variable, means for variables with superscripts without a common letter differ, p 50.05. cANOVA, followed by Bonferroni. dAccording to World Health Organization (20). eData derived from 24-h recall. ultrasound measurement. Krieg et al. (25) and Zochling et al. (18) did not find an association between vitamin D status and QUS parameters among large samples of institutionalized elderly. On the other hand, using dual- energy X-ray absorptiometry, among a younger sample of 12 15 year-old adolescents recruited throughout the year, in the United Kingdom, vitamin D status ( ]74.1 nmol/ L) was not associated with heel BMD. However, within the same study, only girls with high vitamin D status ( ]74.1 nmol/L) had significantly greater forearm BMD (26). It has been suggested that the effect of vitamin D on the skeleton may be site-specific (27). Using multivariable linear regression, age was a significant predictor of BUA. The effect of age on BUA was in agreement with results derived from quantitative ultrasound (28,29). Further, BMI was a significant predictor of SoS and BUA in the multivariable linear regression model, as hypothesized. Similarly, anthropo- metry including weight and BMI were positively asso- ciated with BUA (29,30) and SoS (28,31) in children and adults, but not once obesity is reached. An increasing number of studies suggests that a BMI 30 kg/m2 might interfere with bone health (32). In the current study, at this age and in absence of obesity, the lifestyle variables support accommodation of bone to the larger weight bearing load. We did not find differences between BUA and SoS parameters in either gender. Similar results were reported by others among school-aged children using quantitative ultrasound (29,33). However, Zhu et al. (28) found gender differences, measured by BUA, between the ages of 12 to 13 years old. It is likely that gender differences might not appear until adolescence. Higher MUFA intake was also a predictor of BUA. Similarly, MUFA intake was positively associated with bone health, particularly BMD measured by single photon absorptiometry, in both men and women in an epidemiological study in Greece (34). It is important to point out the main source of MUFA, in the Greek diet, is olive oil, which also contains PUFA. Likewise, the Inuit diet is known to be high in MUFA and PUFA, particularly derived from marine mammals and their oils (35) which are also rich sources of vitamin D (36). In the present study, MUFA, SFA and PUFA contributed Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2012, 71: 18999 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v71i0.18999 5 (page number not for citation purpose)