Zinc deficiency (ZnD) and vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) are common health issues among adolescents. There is a gap in knowledge on the prevalence of ZnD and VDI among adolescents aged 10-14 years in Viet Nam. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of ZnD and VDI among 10-14-year-old adolescents and identify the risk factors.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on six public secondary school students 10-14 years old in Thai Nguyen City in November 2022. The sample size was 324 secondary school students aged 10-14. Participants were randomly chosen from the list of 5,030 students. They were obtained blood tests, anthropometric measurements, and socio-demographic characteristics. The AU400 Series Clinical Chemistry Analyzer analyzed zinc serum. Vitamin D concentration was performed by the UniCel Dxl 800 Access Immunoassay System. The cut-off point for ZnD was 55 mcg/gl, and VDI’s was 30 ng/ml. Written consent was sent to parents before collecting data and to the students on data collection day. The ZnD proportion in Vietnamese adolescents was 37.7%. The proportion of VDI was 69.8%. The factor associated with ZnD was the underweight adolescents. The participants who were female, studied in suburban schools, and had siblings were more likely to be VDI than their counterparts. The main reason for the high prevalence of ZnD and VDI may be inadequate essential micronutrients in the diet of the Vietnamese.

The high prevalence of ZnD and VDI in Vietnamese adolescents 10-14 years old is a common health problem in the community. The factor positively associated with ZnD was underweight secondary school students. Factors such as female students, the place of school in a suburban part of the city, and the number of siblings ≥2 increased the risk of VDI situation.