Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA.
Department of Clinical Nutrition, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
J Health Popul Nutr. 2021 Aug 28;40(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s41043-021-00263-w.
Saudi women are at risk of vitamin D deficiency because they are fully covered by traditional clothing and because of their indoor lifestyle. The latest national study reported that vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L) affects 72% of young Saudi women. Because little information is available regarding knowledge on vitamin D, attitudes toward sun exposure, and the vitamin D status of premenopausal women in Jeddah, more research is necessary in order to develop effective intervention programs. The purpose of this study is to explore how the relationship between knowledge of vitamin D and attitudes about sun exposure affect the serum 25(OH)D levels in premenopausal Saudi women.
This cross-sectional study included 257 women aged 20-50 years attending the primary care clinic in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Participants completed questionnaires about socio-demographics, dietary vitamin D intake, attitudes toward sun exposure, and were tested on their knowledge of vitamin D. Serum 25(OH)D was evaluated using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay.
Although 99% of participants had heard of vitamin D and 91% knew that sunlight exposure is a primary source of vitamin D, they also expressed the feeling of having insufficient knowledge regarding vitamin D sources. Furthermore, the majority of participants had negative attitudes toward sun exposure. High fish consumption was associated with a higher level of knowledge regarding vitamin D. The binary logistic regression indicated that low levels of knowledge about vitamin D were associated with low education levels (odds ratio = 0.397, 95% CI = [0.206, 0.765], p = 0.019) and with being married (odds ratio = 0.522, 95% CI = [0.281, 0.971], p = 0.04). In addition, spending time outside in the sun was significantly associated with increased serum 25(OH)D levels (p = 0.006), and the wearing of colored abaya was significantly associated with increased serum 25(OH)D levels (p = 0.008).
Suboptimal vitamin D status and insufficient knowledge of vitamin D intake sources are common in premenopausal women in Jeddah. Based on this data, health professionals could provide medical intervention to the most vulnerable female patients, as well as offer clear guidelines and information to the general public.
沙特女性面临维生素 D 缺乏的风险，因为她们全身穿着传统服饰并且生活方式多为室内活动。最近的全国性研究报告显示，维生素 D 缺乏症（血清 25(OH)D<50nmol/L）影响了 72%的沙特年轻女性。由于有关维生素 D 知识、对阳光暴露的态度以及吉达绝经期前女性的维生素 D 状况的信息很少，因此有必要进行更多的研究，以便制定有效的干预计划。本研究的目的是探讨维生素 D 知识与阳光暴露态度之间的关系如何影响绝经期前沙特女性的血清 25(OH)D 水平。
这项横断面研究纳入了 257 名年龄在 20-50 岁之间的在沙特阿拉伯吉达初级保健诊所就诊的女性。参与者完成了关于社会人口统计学、饮食中维生素 D 摄入量、阳光暴露态度的调查问卷，并接受了维生素 D 知识测试。使用化学发光微粒子免疫测定法评估血清 25(OH)D。
尽管 99%的参与者听说过维生素 D，91%的人知道阳光暴露是维生素 D 的主要来源，但他们也表示对维生素 D 来源的知识感到不足。此外，大多数参与者对阳光暴露持消极态度。高鱼类摄入量与更高的维生素 D 知识水平相关。二元逻辑回归表明，维生素 D 知识水平较低与受教育程度较低（比值比=0.397，95%置信区间[0.206，0.765]，p=0.019）和已婚状态（比值比=0.522，95%置信区间[0.281，0.971]，p=0.04）相关。此外，在户外晒太阳的时间与血清 25(OH)D 水平的升高显著相关（p=0.006），而彩色长袍的穿着与血清 25(OH)D 水平的升高显著相关（p=0.008）。
绝经期前的沙特女性普遍存在维生素 D 状态不佳和维生素 D 摄入来源知识不足的情况。根据这些数据，医疗专业人员可以为最脆弱的女性患者提供医疗干预，同时向公众提供明确的指导方针和信息。
