Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Association with Body Mass Index and Dietary Factors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46649/f1ew2078Keywords:
Vitamin D deficiency; meal skipping; vegetable avoidance; dietary habits.Abstract
Background: Vitamin D deficiency and obesity are major global public health problems, particularly affecting women. Although there is abundant sunlight in the Middle East, deficiency remains common among people in this area because of cultural, lifestyle, and dietary reasons. There are limited data on the role of diet in this correlation among women.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the association between serum vitamin D levels and body mass index, including the role of the dietary patterns among women.
Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted using a structured short questionnaire and anthropometric measurements for calculating body mass index. Blood samples were taken to measure vitamin D levels and classify them as deficient, insufficient or sufficient. Since the data indicated non-normal distribution, normality was tested using the Shapiro-wilk. Non-parametric statistical tests were used. Spearman's rank correlation and chi-squared tests were applied to assess the relationship between the variables.
Results: The study found that high proportion of participants had deficient or insufficient levels of vitamin D. There was a statistically significant inverse association between body mass index and vitamin D levels. No significant associations were indicated between vitamin D levels and most dietary factors, including meal patterns and consumption of common food groups. However, a significant association was indicated between vitamin D levels and vegetable consumption.
Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is common in women and is associated with body mass index and other lifestyle choices.
Recommendation: Public health efforts should raise vitamin D deficiency awareness (especially among women) and be supported by larger future studies .
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