Knowledge about Vitamin D among General Population in Baghdad City.

BACKGROUND

Globally and in Iraq, vitamin D insufficiency is becoming more of a problem. Knowledge is crucial in preventing deficiency and future consequences. The current study intends to investigate the general population's knowledge about vitamin D in Baghdad, Iraq.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online study including 1,011 residents of Baghdad, Iraq, was carried out. To choose participants, a non-probability convenience sampling method was applied. Knowledge questionnaires with 17 items were taken from earlier research. Fisher exact and Chi-Square were utilized to identify associations between the variables.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of good knowledge among participants was 74.3%. About 48.8% did blood tests before to check vitamin D levels. Around half of respondents (47.1%) did take vitamin D supplements before. The level of good knowledge among respondents was 74.3%. Multivariable logistic regression model showed that respondents taking vitamin d supplements had better knowledge (AOR; 2.241, 95 CI: 1.701-3.444).

CONCLUSION

People living in Baghdad have a good knowledge level about Vitamin D but more health education and promotion are needed to address specific issues like dietary sources and, the best season to get vitamin D as the majority did not know it.