Vitamin D supplementation for improving children with bone mineral density: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is usually one of the less perceived complications of chronic illness among children. Previous studies have shown that vitamin D supplementation may be valuable to bone density, especially among children with a deficiency of vitamin D. Yet, the results often remain inconsistent. Therefore, the present study investigates the clinical therapeutic effects of vitamin D supplementation to enhance children with bone mineral density. METHODS: We will search the randomised controlled experiment literature of vitamin D supplementation for bone mineral density, focusing on children, in 3 distinct English databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE via PubMed, and Cochrane Library) and 2 specific Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and WanFang databases). Additionally, we intend to explore the Clinical Trials.gov, reference lists of identified publication and the grey literature. Accordingly, we will use 2 independent authors to screen the literature, extract data, and research quality assessment. We will carry out all statistical analyses using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: We will systematically evaluate the clinical therapeutic effects of vitamin D supplementation to enhance children with bone mineral density. CONCLUSION: The present study will summarise the currently published pieces of evidence of vitamin D supplementation for bone mineral density in children to further comprehend its promotion and application. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The present study is a systematic review and meta-analysis founded upon existing or published studies; therefore, ethical approval is not applicable. OSF REGISTRATION NUMBER: October 24, 2020. osf.io/7vtey. (https://osf.io/7vtey/).